Award Data

Tools for engineering of complex, embedded, high-performing real-time systems comprise a critical technology area. 21st Century Systems, Inc. proposes to design and eventually (in Phases II and III) develop and commercialize an environment tool-suite that will perform systems synthesis for such systems. The environment will include a system component manager, a system description language, and a ...

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New developments in materials and components create a need for more effective controllers for flexible, lightweight, high-performance systems in DoD, industry, civil infrastructure, and space applications. Included are automated loading and material handling systems, tank flexible gun barrels, vibration and oscillation in automobiles, bridges, and overhead cranes. The control problems associated ...

Automated Cynamics Corporations (ADC) proposes to exploit its knowledge of automated in-situ consolidation of thermoplastic carbon fiber unidirectional tape to reduce the high scrap rate currently experienced in the in the fabrication of thermoset (epoxy) carbon fiber sabots. The current production process requires several steps which result in material loss (scrap) of approximately 60-70%. App ...

Eight years of developing fiber placement technologies at Automated Dynamics Corporation (ADC) has resulted in robust manufacturing process for commercial and applications. In-situ consolidation technologies have been adapted for sporting good products, down hole piping, and industrial rolls and shafts. High performance thermoplastics such as PEEK, Nylon and PPS have been the candidate mat ...

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THE ADVANTAGES OF THERMOPLASTIC MATRIX COMPOSITES FOR MANUFACTURING LOW-COST CMPONENTS HAVE YET TO BE REALIZED. AN IMPORTANT FACTOR LIMITING THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES IS THE LACK OF LOW-COST METHOD FOR PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY PREPREGS AND PREFORMS. A METHOD OF PRODUCING THESE MATERIALS THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH COMMONLY USED COMPOSITE FABRICATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS FILAMENT WINDING, PULTRUSION, AND PR ...

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 ...

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