Award Data

Friction stir welding (FSW) is an attractive joining method where high strength low porosity welds can be attained. However, the high temperatures and forces required for welding high strength materials like steel require the use of exotic tools. Cubic boron nitride (cBN)-based tools offer attractive tool wear characteristics in steels, but are very costly. Conversely, refractory metal alloys are ...

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 ...

Naval aircraft components are routinely made of 7000 series aluminum alloys due to their strength, weight and fatigue properties. Present Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes falls short of producing 7000 series Al alloys successfully due to lack of porosity, thermal and composition control. In-situ methods implemented to date largely only yield information about the component surface and other m ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Wireless charging of unmanned aerial system (UAS) platforms from the environment has the potential to greatly increase flight and mission times. A promising option is to use electromagnetic fields from the power transmission infrastructure as an energy source. EH Group and the University of Alabama propose a design for UAS wireless charging in the near-field environment of the commercial power tra ...

The STTR topic N19A-T013 seeks innovative technology to improve the power density and efficiency of propulsion and power generation devices. To address this challenge, Spectral Energies in collaboration with its academic partner Dr. Rory Roberts at Wright State University proposes to develop a compact heat recovery system based on a supercritical CO2 based Rankin Cycle. At the end of the STTR prog ...

The primary objective is to develop electric machine/drive topologies and power architectures that achieve the power densities required for 50% more power without the increase in weight or space requirements. In addition to PMSM-based designs, two new machine topologies will be considered. The first is a trapped flux coreless (TFC) machine that utilizes superconducting pucks made of YBCO to produc ...