Award Data

Cured aircraft composite materials present a particularly difficult challenge for recycling technology. Those materials have mostly thermosetting epoxy matrices and occur in intimate association with metals, paints, and coatings. Current techniques for recycling thermoset composites, mostly for automotive sheet molding compounds (SMC), involve pulverizing the material for use as fillers. Th ...

A novel tertiary recycling process is proposed for investigation as an economical means for recycling shipboard plastic waste. Early development work has shown that this process can convert a wide variety of polymers and composites into low molecular weight hydrocarbons at temperatures below 200'C. The hydrocarbons produced can then be reused as chemicals, fuels, or monomers. Metal, glass, and fil ...

Current utilization of composite materials in air and surface weapons systems and structures is extensive, and the use of these materials can be expected to increase in the future. Weapons effectiveness assessments and the design of protective structures require methodologies to predict the terminal ballistic interactions between projectiles and fragments penetrating composite laminated target st ...

Recent trends in submarine design indicate the need for-locating more electrical components, such as propulsion motors and actuators, outside the pressure hull. As a result, there is a need for electrical hull penetrators/connectors which can transfer high currents or high voltages through the submarine's pressure hull. We propose to review the capabilities and limitations of existing penetrator/ ...

Enemy forces can be crippled quickly at the beginning of a war by separating the enemies command and control structure from its combat forces and other elements of its defensive network. A false target generator has the potential to saturate or tie up an enemies air defense net and increase survivability of our own airborne assets. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an optimum candidate for a dec ...

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We propose to develop a simulation system that integrates CAD/CAM/CAT tools into a Virtual Manufacturing Environment, and to demonstrate the proof of concept. The proposed system will be based on the demonstrated functionality of Multi-dimensional, user-oriented Synthetic Environment, UuSE (pronounced "muse'). Developed at Sandia National Laboratories by UuSE Technologies, Inc. (principals a ...

Advanced anti-radiation missiles using large, high temperature superconducting antennas will require cryocoolers that can cool the antenna quickly with a minimum mass and volume penalty. We will develop a mixed gas Joule-Thomson (J-T) cryocooler with the load heat exchanger integral to the antenna substrate. The mixed gas J-T thermodynamic cycle is significantly more efficient than current singl ...

Current ultrasound images in mine warfare, biomedical imaging and non-destructive testing are limited by the use of linear transducer arrays which result in thick image "slices", errors from phase aberrations and primitive volumetric scanning capability. Two-dimensional arrays will overcome these limitations. Two-dimensional arrays have not been manufactured because of difficulty in fabricating t ...