Award Data

Viscosity and low temperature lubricant characteristics determine turbine engine starting capability, and lubricant motion with respect to the contact surfaces at low ambient temperature. Such low ambient temperatures influence the oil viscosity and also the variation of its curve shape versus the temperature. According to the aforementioned research method, the requirements for accuracy and rel ...

A program is proposed that will extend (and build upon) the work already started by the Survivability Group of the Composites Affordability Initiative, Pervasive Team in developing methods for analyzing the effects of ballistic and hydrodynamic ram (HRAM)loading and damage in bonded/co-cured composite structures.Specifically, the objective will be to remedy a major shortcoming of current HRAM fini ...

Increasing the power density of current jet aircraft engines requires the replacement of conventional high temperature materials by new materials capable of operating at higher temperatures. Ceramics and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) represent excellent candidates for increased use in hot engine parts due to their ability to withstand temperatures in excess of 2000 C. Due to the complexity of t ...

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 ...

In order to achieve high performance at acceptable cost, PEM fuel cells are required to work at elevated temperature and low relative humidity (near 0 RH) for extended periods of time. However, to date, no commercial PEMs or publicly reported PEMs can meet these requirements. The objectives of this work are: (1) to develop PEMs that have high proton conductivities (50-100 mS/cm) and low area-spec ...

The first critical step in welding or brazing is cleaning to remove surface contamination. The Air Force has a need for an environmentally cleaning method that has no waste stream, minimal requirements of personal safety protection, and does not impact component integrity. The Arc Scrubber is an emerging non-chemical cleaning technology that utilizes and electrical arc to remove surface contamin ...

Applied Optimization, Inc. proposes a three-step approach for identifying the unknown physical characteristics of a target satellite based on its multi-spectral point image. In the first step, a method is proposed for calibrating space-based passivesensors using data from tracking a Navstar satellite. The specific data to be used was obtained by an experiment aboard the MSX satellite. There are tw ...

Applied Optimization, Inc. [AO] proposes to demonstrate full feature characterization of unresolved RSOs by performing spectral unmixing and time-frequency analysis of its time and spectrally resolved signature in the visible or infrared spectrum. The characterization will be performed step-by-step by following a taxonomy of feature extraction. Materials identification will be performed via spectr ...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will create nanofiber reinforced thermoplastics as an economical composite for use in structural components. Carbon nanofibers have superior and highly touted intrinsic mechanical properties to contribute to reinforcement of composites. However, their extremely small size, and thus high surface to volume ratio, makes attainment of a st ...