Award Data

In this Phase II SBIR effort we will dramatically reduce the size, weight, and power requirements of a passive millimeter wave imaging system based on optical upconversion. To this end, we will integrate custom silicon-germanium low noise amplifiers that have been designed to efficiently couple with our high performance lithium niobate upconversion modules. In Phase I we analyzed the design requ ...

During Phase I, the Blackhawk hanger bearing and oil cooler fan bearing applications were studied in detail, including analysis of vibration and temperature data from used oil cooler bench tests (conducted by Sikorsky) and used hanger bearing bench tests (conducted by Sentient). This data, along with an analysis of operational and environmental conditions, has allowed us to identify the probable r ...

The objective of this project is to develop algorithms controlling the high level flight pattern of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) utilizing swarming technology in a manner to maximize Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) performance for a selected algorithm through cooperative search operations involving a larger number of inexpensive UAVs. Based upon the success and results of the Phase I work, ...

In this SBIR program, AlphaSense, Inc. teamed with the Center for Non-destructive Evaluations at Iowa State University to develop a compact, low cost handheld sensor for non-destructive material case depth verification. In phase I, we have proven the feasibility of using an alternating current potential drop (ACPD) sensor for non-destructive measurements of case depth. Phase II will be focusing on ...

ABSTRACT: Optical control of RF-signal transmission presents an attractive avenue for processing and transmitting RF information using various optical components, as opposed to electronic control, where metallic wires/cables are required. On a macroscopic scale, optical fibers offer low transmission losses, and hence are suitable for the distribution of control signals over long distances for lar ...

Touchstone Research Laboratory and Aspen Aerogels have teamed to create a new carbon composite material comprised of Touchstone’s carbon foam (CFOAM) and carbon aerogel. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing on a laboratory scale and included foam and aerogel compositional optimization, as well as preliminary thermal and mechanical characterization. The results were that carbon ...

ABSTRACT: High-performance computing (HPC) programmers and domain experts, such as those in the Air Force's research divisions, develop solvers for a wide variety of application areas such as modeling next generation aircraft and weapons designs and advanced image processing analysis. When developing software for HPC systems, the programmer should not spend the majority of their time optimiz ...

The current approach to providing thermal protection to aero-vehicles is to use a parasitic thermal protection system (TPS) that protects the primary structure while transferring the aerodynamic loads to the same primary structure. This approach increases the complexity of the vehicle system that, in turn, complicates fabrication and inspection of the structure. In addition, this approach also i ...

The higher Mach number flight capability required in future missile systems has necessitated the development of advanced materials capable of surviving the increased thermal loads expected in these systems. Although previous research has indicated that titanium matrix composites (TMCs) are a potential solution to this problem, the high cost of these materials has severely hindered their considerat ...

We investigate the development of a secure fuselet runtime environment built on a foundation of aspect-oriented web services. Aspect-oriented techniques enable the modularization of crosscutting concerns such as remote access, security, and monitoring using code instrumentation. We compose aspect-oriented instrumentation with web service technologies in a noninvasive and orthogonal manner, and lev ...