Award Data

The ultimate objective of this project is to develop an instrument capable of remote detection and location of tornadoes and/or storms containing tornadoes. There are many reports, both scientific and anecdotal, suggesting that tornadoes and tornadic thunderstorms emit anomalous electromagnetic (EM) radiation-both RF and luminous. This radiation is characterized by unusually high rates of EM pulse ...

Quantitative, non-invasive X and gamma ray 3-D tomographic assessment of large, irregularly shaped, heterogeneous bodies is essential for efficient progress of environmental waste management. Currently, thousands of sealed containers with low-level radioactive waste are in storage. The material must be identified and quantified as a preliminary step to processing or storing the material. Curren ...

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) accounts for a significant proportion of all welding performed. Due to its relatively high speeds and metal deposition rates as well as relatively low equipment and maintenance costs, it is also the most popular process for automated, and especially robotic, welding. There are, however, problems that significantly restrict its manufacturing applications. The efforts at ...

The ability to monitor the progress of chemical reactions and to detect the presence of corrosive constituents is a challenge in the emerging field of hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) reactors. Likewise, there is also a need to monitor crevice corrosion in commercial steam-generation boilers because corrosion undermines the integrity of steam generators and therefore impacts the operating cost and re ...

SIMOX (Separation by IMplanted Oxygen) technology achieves total dielelectric isolation of active device regions from the substrate and reduces the collection path for ionized charges via the built-in buried oxide which restricts charge movement. Advances in SIMOX technology include radiation hardened memories and gate arrays for space applications, ULSI DRAMS for low voltage operation, thin film ...

Lexitek proposes to develop an imaging gamma-ray detector with 1024 x 1024 pixels for arms control verification. The proposed detector significantly enhances the resolution of fissionable material distribution without compromising energy resolution. The detector consists of a scintillating crystal and associated sensors which determine the energy and position of the scintillation with high spat ...

A critical component to the overall performance of the diffractometer is the rotary positioning system. Accurate positioning of the source and detector with respect to the specimen and minimization of the "sphere error" is essential for characterization of multilayers and new X-ray powder standard reference materials. OPTRA will develop a new rotary stage that directly monitors the rotation of t ...

OPTRA is proposing the development of an all-reflecting stationary Fourier transform spectrometer, based on the use of Fresnel mirrors and a linear uncooled amorphous silicon microbolometer array to produce spectra in the 1 to 5 micron region with resolution of 5nm. Concentration, temperature and soot volume fraction will be derived from the measured emission spectra of a flame. An amorphous silic ...

We propose a 6 month program during which we will develop and demonstrate an approach for generating well-characterized atomic and molecular beams of metastable species. Such beam sources are necessary for the microelectronics and plasma processing industries because they would provide a valuable tool required to establish a solid database of plasma-related collision processes. This improved and e ...

This project will develop a multi-sensor data acquisition and processing system. The goal of this research will be to investigate the feasibility of developing a high-performance, real-time system capable of coordinating the simultaneous operation of several sensors aboard aircraft. The system's main feature would be real-time processing and display of data products such as salinity charts, sea ...