Award Data

TDA proposes to develop a multi-physics-based model to simulate and optimize the microwave curing process of thick fiber reinforced composites. The primary objective is to improve the manufacturing speed and cost of high-quality carbon fiber reinforced composites by quickly identifying the right processing parameters for a given part during microwave processing. The model will account for the inte ...

Electrochemical machining has multiple benefits for manufacturing of turbomachinery including high quality surface finish, an ability to process advanced metal alloys, no imparted stress, and scalability to deliver production affordability. Unfortunately, ECM’s adoption is limited by the up-front time, cost, and risk to demonstrate an ECM solution. This problem is particularly difficult during n ...

Graphite is one of the most important materials used in our everyday life.  It is used in brake linings, lubricants, powdered metals, refractory applications, steelmaking, and batteries. In recent years, the graphite demand in the U.S. has been driven by the high growth rate of electric vehicle production. Approximately 7.8 million electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. in 2022, a 68% increase f ...

The 1.5 MHz to 35 MHz HF band supports a variety of functions (including ionospheric characterization and over-the-horizon communications) with relatively little infrastructure. The large antenna sizes required present a significant challenge that has prevented the adaptation of HF systems on small platforms. Small, low free-board maritime craft have an extremely small footprint and require a mini ...

There is a critical need for a high purity commercial source of calcium lanthanum sulfide (CaL2S4; CLS).  Ceramics made from CLS have an unusually broad range of transmittance in the infrared (IR), as well as high mechanical strength and environmental durability.  For these reasons, CLS is an ideal material for IR windows used in applications such as multispectral imaging.  CLS ceramics are not ...

Rebreathers are scuba gear that allow the diver to breath underwater without producing bubbles. They have many benefits including light-weight, reduced risk of decompression (lack of nitrogen in the system allows the divers to stay submerged longer) and stealth (since they produce no bubbles, they don’t reveal the diver’s location).  In this closed-circuit operation, the CO2 is removed from t ...

Corvid Technologies, LLC (Corvid) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) propose developing a framework on a modern software architecture utilizing high fidelity, state-of-the-art modeling tools to provide an accurate, but efficient, prediction of the ablating TPS material response in real-time. Three different TPS modeling approaches will be evaluated during Phase I in terms of accura ...

Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) used by the Navy have propellant formulations that contain highly energetic materials.  These propellant formulations are a complex combination of energetic materials (fuel and oxidizer) in a polymer binder with added plasticizers, curing and cross-linking agents, stabilizers, and other materials to improve the performance and lifetime of the propellant. Stabilizers are ...

The Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials for current hypersonic vehicles have limited structural capability in all-weather environments and a low level of manufacturing sophistication. Nanoshell Matrix Composites (NMC) are a class of materials being developed at United Protective Technologies to address the most difficult challenges faced in hypersonic environments. NMC materials allow the pr ...

The limited available space on the body of a hypersonic glide vehicle as well as the extreme aerodynamic and aerothermal environment it experiences presents a significant design challenge for mounting antenna systems. The surfaces of the hypersonic vehicle are subjected to extremely high temperatures (>1000 °C) and require aerothermal protection systems on top of the lightweight, high-strength st ...