Award Data

Large aerospace composite structures currently require autoclaves and ovens to achieve desired performance which are expensive to purchase, costly to operate, and often limit part size and production rate. Ovens and autoclaves rely on convective heating which is inefficient, consumes large amounts of energy, and can be difficult to predict. Alternative cure processes using external heaters or hot ...

For this research program, Mainstream will collaborate with Colorado State University (CSU) to develop a nanostructured heater capable of curing aerospace grade composites out-of-autoclave (OOA). The use of autoclaves is the primary cost driver in composite manufacturing due to size limitations, long processing times, and inefficient energy usage. Therefore, the Navy is looking to develop a nanost ...

There is a need to create an automated, adaptive, real time coaching module that can integrate the Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) along with the associated Intelligent Tutor System (COVE-ITS) and the Conning-Officer Ship Handling Assessment (COSA) together. By automating the evaluation process, Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) will have the opportunity to use the COVE simulations more f ...

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are currently limited in the type of missions they can perform. Limited available power limits which sensors can be run or for how long, and also limits the duration and range of the mission. More efficient propulsion systems would increase the power available to the UUV payload. Improved power distribution systems and control systems would also increase the ava ...

In this proposal, a meta model-based scaling law will be used to represent each system component. A components meta model-based scaling law describes the tradeoffs between performance metrics for that component or subsystem as a function of its ratings in relation to the system. This greatly reduces the number of degrees of freedom for each component, and at the same time, retains the information ...

The underpinning science and sensing associated with autonomous navigation is advancing on numerous fronts. The navigation capability required for ship hull grooming in a low visibility environment is a natural application of this technology. Enormous benefit will be realized in the public and private sectors of the shipping industry. The economic and environmental impact realized using proactive ...

The Internet of Things (IoT) connects people, data, and "things" (e.g., software, sensors, platforms), facilitating the translation of information into actions. Although naval platforms’ networks and communication suites have evolved significantly in the past few years to support such required connectivity, one of the greatest technical challenges still facing the military community is the proce ...

Qualification of additively manufactured parts is hampered by the inherent uncetainty in properties due to heterogeneity in processing, microstructure, and defects. The proposed effort combines high-throughput testing of static and dynamic properties using tailored sample geometry, fixture design, and load application method with microstructure quantification and analysis. This system will drastic ...

Degraded weather conditions particularly, dense maritime fog, reduces the US Fleet EO/IR systems ability to maintain situational awareness and detect/identify and track targets of interest. It is the Navys goal to develop an active EO/IR imaging system that jointly optimizes illumination source properties and implements advanced image processing to improve performance and operational range of curr ...

The use of laser technologies and high-power electronics is rapidly being incorporated into tactical platforms for imaging, target designation, and range finding. Electronic equipment including lasers demand power from a tactical aircraft and produce large amounts of thermal energy as a waste product. Current thermal management technologies will not be sufficient for future aircraft as thermal man ...