Award Data

ABSTRACT:Development and use of new composite materials is imperative for continued advancement of airframe and engine systems.In order to facilitate the accelerated insertion of new composite materials, there is a need for an improved analysis methodology that allows designers to reduce the time and cost associated with material and structural development and test programs.The goal of the propose ...

ABSTRACT: The production of 3D models from aerial imagery has been an active research area for many years. Given sufficient image texture and a variety of divergent camera viewpoints, camera pose and scene structure are fully recoverable. Further, software for fully reconstructing a scene from an image set is now freely available. As the range of viewpoints decreases, however, traditional methods ...

ABSTRACT: Next generation liquid rocket systems, envision novel designs for cryogenic turbopumps that exhibit high suction performance with low inlet pressures, operate at high tip speeds to reduce size and weight, and can be throttled over a wide range of low, off-design flow conditions where the inlet flow quality is poor with large backflow. These are extremely demanding flow regimes which ma ...

ABSTRACT: The need for evaluation of aerodynamic loads on internal weapons bay doors comes from the US Air Force's requirement to open doors on many of its aircraft during flight. This ranges from an aircraft's low-speed opening of landing gear doors and speed brakes to opening weapons bay doors in supersonic flight. This sets up a situation for unsteady aerodynamic loading of these surfaces due ...

ABSTRACT: Composite materials often represent the most weight efficient and lowest cost solutions for airframe structures. Many of these structures are in areas that are susceptible to incidental impact damage and require adequate residual strength after impact for specified periods of service. Current design methodologies require designers to predict the residual response of full-scale composit ...

ABSTRACT: This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop and demonstrate a test apparatus for determining the minimum hot surface ignition (HSI) temperature of flammable liquids. Flammable liquids leaking onto hot surfaces, such as those in an aircraft engine bay, present fire hazards. To properly assess and mitigate these hazards, an in depth knowledge of th ...

ABSTRACT: The innovation proposed is a computationally-tractable, physics-based, portable turbulent combustion modeling strategy for application to a wide range of Air Force aero-propulsive systems, including augmentors, liquid rockets and scramjets. This modeling strategy will be implemented within an Application Programming Interface (API) library suitable for easy integration within Air Force ...

CRAFT Tech proposes the development of an innovative design optimization tool called"AeroRCS"which will simultaneously solve for both aerodynamic performance as well as electromagnetic reflectivity (Radar Cross Section). When operated in an automated environment, AeroRCS will intelligently"morph"and steer the shape to converge on an optimal solutions. AeroRCS will be demonstrated by developing ...

ABSTRACT: Incomplete and inconsistent impregnation of fiber beds in composite material manufacture jeopardizes the performance of multiple aircraft platforms and substantially increases acquisition and sustainment costs for the Air Force. Current test methodologies are inadequate to address this problem as they cannot be conducted during manufacture, exhibit poor accuracy and repeatability, and ...

ABSTRACT: One of the key lessons learned from operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom is that Close Air Support (CAS) is assuming an increasingly important role for US military planners and field commanders. Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) play a critical role across all Services in bringing air superiority to bear in engaging targets of opportunity in close proximity to friendly f ...