Award Data

The development of a non-contact measurement system is of particular importance to implementing an automated method for thickness measurement of critical coatings on internal/external aircraft composite structures. The objective of the proposed research project is to continue development of a non-contact measurement technology and produce a fully functional prototype device for use in robotic app ...

The development of a robotic sanding system is of particular importance to implementing an automated method for sanding critical, high performance coatings to final thickness and surface finish requirements on internal/external aircraft composite structures. The objective of the proposed research project is to continue development of robotic sanding technology and produce a fully functional proto ...

The AEDC Engine Test Facility (ETF) has more than 20 test cells that can be used for testing prototype propulsion systems and components. The testing of propulsion systems requires significant data acquisition capabilities, with one test utilizing more than 4200 channels of instrumentation, including 200 dynamic strain gages. In response to the sheer set-up challenge, AEDC has developed the conc ...

The Phase I work has clearly demonstrated the feasibility of the Multi-Disciplinary Computing Environment (MDICE) for prediction and control of twin-tail buffet of fighter aircraft. Several flow control methodologies have been proposed and appliedsuccessfully to a generic fighter aircraft to reduce the twin-tail buffet responses. A new method of flow control using normal leading-edge blowing has ...

Designing next generation propellants requires an a priori prediction of their properties. Heat of sublimation is one such property that is required to theoretically estimate specific impulse. The state-of-art approach for estimating heat of sublimation is based on model compounds and empirical correlation, which has large RMS deviation. In Phase I, CFDRC has demonstrated that the first-principl ...

During Phase I CFDRC defined the performance and a roadmap for reduced operational costs of existing and new launch platforms using a Bi-propellant Air-Turbo-Rocket (BATR) as first stage propulsion. Specific applications include the Orbital Sciences Pegasus launch vehicle and an innovative Nano Satellite Launch Platform (NSLP). Phase I concluded that the BATR’s specific thrust (200 lbf-s/lbm) ...

The primary objective of CU Aerospace's Phase II work will be to experimentally characterize the ElectriCOIL flow using advanced diagnostics and to demonstrate lasing of this electrically assisted chemical iodine laser. CU Aerospace (CUA) and theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) believe that it is possible to construct a highly efficient electric generation scheme to provide the pr ...

Digital Fusion Solutions (DFS) proposes to develop a visible imaging polarimeter to support space situational awareness, with a focus on geostationary orbit. The proposed sensor operates autonomously with a wide field of view to for target/anomaly detection and then switches to a narrow field of view for in-depth surveillance of suspect objects. The sensor is fabricated using a proprietary optical ...

The ultimate aim of this program is to experimentally demonstrate the ability of a passive, light weight flow control device to successfully produce acceptable acoustic noise levels in the main cavity of the F/A-22 aircraft during a flight test. The Phase I effort performed both state of the art CFD analysis and complementary small-scale wind tunnel tests to assess the ability of a rod-in-crossflo ...

High-performance HgCdTe infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) sensing in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) region and advanced structures such as multi-color detectors required for future generation IRFPAs are highly desirable for various Air Forceapplications. Such device architectures require not only reliable extrinsic n- and p-type doping of HgCdTe but also the precise control of composition ...