Award Data

This proposed Phase II effort will fabricate and test a working prototype ILI tool, including a pull-test on representative samples with representative defects under representative conditions. The focus is on oil pipelines, as well as gas pipelines. This program will address some pressing, high priority needs such as reliable characterization of longitudinal cracks (including cracks at ERW welds), ...

Braking Rate Monitoring and Warning System 3/9/2015 Driver inattention and inaction are a major cause for serious crashes. There is a need for a low cost auxiliary system to sense any rail vehicle approaching unsafely and alert drivers. The auxiliary system will provide some form of Human Machine Interface that may aggressively alert the train operator of potential safety problems and permit a r ...

Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to develop a novel composite laminate that when applied to standard steel rails will regulate the maximum temperature reached, limiting expansion and buckling. During Phase I, PSI will work with QinetiQ North America to demonstrate the performance of PSI’s system in a simulated railroad environment. Testing will demonstrate the thermal properties of the laminate. ...

Motorcyclists face a unique set of challenges when operating on public streets and highways. In addition to hazards relevant to automobiles, motorcycle riders must remain vigilant for hazards that pose significant danger to motorcycles (e.g., uneven terrain, sand/gravel, potholes); however, there is currently no motorcycle-specific hazard tracking or alerting system available for riders. To addres ...

"The DoD needs to rapidly add and then subsequently remove protective armor to and from civilian vehicles without altering their external appearance and without permanently altering their interior. Existing solutions are heavy, bulky, and are time consuming to install. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) is teamed with an existing armor manufacturer to provide both opaque and transparent solutions that c ...

The objective of Phase I is to define, develop and demonstrate a modular armor system for commercial vehicles that can be tailored to the threat, is platform agnostic and which can be installed in and is in fact transferable between vehicles in the field. The proposed project will facilitate the scenario where by a SOF team would acquire a likely battered indigenous vehicle, and then convert it to ...

"USSOCOM has need for a lightweight, concealable, one-to-three legged support for modern targeting devices. Existing solutions are heavy, bulky, expensive, and take too long both to deploy and to stow when operations are complete. The Physical Sciences team of structural engineers and retired USSOCOM operators will determine the feasibility of using low-cost, commercially available materials to fo ...

Locomotives weigh up to 240 ton each. -Rail cars can weigh flom 30 ton (empty) to 140 ton (loaded). Track construction and maintenance equipment, earthmoving plant and haul tiuaks can all weigh l0,s of tons each. When a 200-lb worker 'arguer;' with any of these equipment they lorse. Rail road and yard workers can, literally, be sunounded by these very large, heavy and potentially dangerous pieces ...

ZKxKZ with partners at UMass-Lowell Plastics Engineering Department and Voltek will develop low cost mini-roundabout technology based on a rapidly installable system of interlocking modules made from recycled plastic materials. Phase I will focus on material and process selection, along with modul configuration optimization, governed by design for low acquisition, installation and life cycle cost ...

Federal regulations require a seat belt assembly with a locking lap belt to be available in passenger seating positions to securely accommodate a child restraint system. More recently, federal regulations have been updated to improve the quality of the child restraint system and the mechanisms by which it is secured. However, there are restrictions on total weight capacities for new restraint syst ...