Award Data

Reduced mass materials are critical to the success of aerospace systems. Thus, large air and space structures can benefit from lightweight composite materials. However, their adoption is impaired by the lack of a robust, cost-effective fabrication process, principally because the autoclaves used to consolidate composite laminates are so expensive for large parts. This program develops for US aeros ...

For propulsion related applications, materials must be able to demonstrate excellent ablation and oxidation resistance at temperature approaching 3500?C, adequate load bearing capabilities, non-catastrophic failure modes, and ability to withstand transient thermal shock. Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. (ACR) has developed low cost, flexible-manufacturing processes for Zr & Hf-based carbon fiber r ...

AN ADVANCED TURBINE ENGINE FAN BLADE CONTAINMENT SYSTEM USING CERAMIC TILES ON A POLYMER FIBER BACKING RING IS PRO- POSED. THE PROPOSED CERAMIC/POLYMER-FIBER SYSTEM HAS PROVEN MORE WEIGHT EFFECTIVE THAN MONOLITHIC METALLIC OR POLYMER MATERIALS FOR STOPPING PENETRATION OF BALLISTIC MUNITIONS PROJECTILES. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY, ORIGINAL-LY DEVELOPED FOR AIRCRAFT ARMOR SYSTEMS, WILL DEC ...

60311 There are economic and environmental justifications for replacing conventional distillation processes with simpler membrane separations in certain applications. However, at present, there are no commercial membranes able to withstand the aggressive conditions associated with important industrial chemicals, including hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and ozone. Prototype, chemic ...

60395 Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gasoline refueling facilities continue to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. In such applications, it is desired to vent the air in the system and keep the VOC behind. This project will develop a reverse separation membrane (RSM) system that allows for rapid venting of air while retaining the gasoline in underground storag ...

Many refinery product streams, particularly those from Ultra Low Hydrodesulfurisation units, are prone to haze due to water emulsions. Haze is also problematic for biodiesel production, as hazy fuel cannot be used until the haze settles or is removed, which creates costly scheduling and shipping delays. This project will develop a novel membrane process for the removal of dissolved and dispersed ...

Volatile natural gas prices are negatively impacting the U.S. industrial sector, which consumes approximately 6.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas annually. Over the last 24 months, natural gas prices have fluctuated between $5 and $12 per MMBtu, resulting in high and unpredictable fuel costs for the industrial sector. With abundant coal resources, an opportunity exists for the U.S. industrial ...

The recent performance increases in graphics processing units (GPUs) have made graphics cards an attractive platform for implementing computationally intense applications. With their numerous parallel computational pipelines and SIMD architecture, modern GPUs can outperform high-end microprocessors by one to three orders of magnitude, depending on the problem. Most work to date at EM Photonics a ...

SiC based mirrors offer great potential for space-borne structures. Current support technology is limited due to poor fracture toughness of RBSiC. This proposal offers a novel, composite technology to produce near zero CTE structure exhibiting only 4 kg/m2 aerial density.

60756 Recently discovered fullerene nano-tubes (also known as Single-Walled Nano-Tubes, SWNT) may have wide applicability because of their unique structure, as well as their physical and chemical properties. This project will develop a continuous reactor to economically produce high-yield SWNT using coal-based materials. The proposed reactor will utilize a flow-through design and allow c ...