Award Data

The U.S. Navy seeks methods to improve the fuel economy of marine diesel engines through utilization of waste heat. Low temperature engine jacket water, lubrication oil, and aftercooler air are largely untapped streams of thermal energy on these ships, but their utilization circumvents many operation challenges associated with exhaust gases. For example, variable and high exhaust gas temperatures ...

Additive manufacturing is a disruptive new manufacturing paradigm that hold tremendous potential for creation of novel designs and introduction of novel new alloy systems. However, much of this potential remains unrealized due to a lack of robust material properties databases. Accurate calibration of materials models and robust part qualification and certification regimes both will require massive ...

Triton Systems, Inc. proposes to develop an affordable, lightweight and durable hybrid composite system for next generation structural frame composites that will survive both short- and long-term thermal and chemical exposure and abrasive conditions. The team will develop a hybrid materials system that is an improvement on traditional carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) systems in performance a ...

Quantum cascade laser optical output power is limited by laser facet catastrophic optical damage (COD). In edge-emitting semiconductor lasers COD is a thermal runaway process wherein the front facet of the laser heats under high power operation. This facet heating reduces the semiconductor bandgap which increases the optical absorption and also increases the electrical injection current in the fac ...

In this program, we will develop solutions to optimize QCL fabrication processes, such as facet passivation and high thermal conductivity coatings, that will mitigate the reliability issues for high power QCL applications. In phase I, we will first evaluate all concepts and efforts that have been largely investigated for GaAs based high power diode lasers and transfer the knowledge to InP based QC ...

The development of a catastrophic optical damage model for quantum cascade lasers describing instantaneous laser damage at high optical power levels is proposed. The model will be validated by comparison to experimental data. Based on obtained results, changes to laser design and laser fabrication resulting in an increased damage threshold will be implemented. The work will ultimately result into ...

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 ...

With MEDUSAE, our world class team proposes to leverage our extensive experience, existing technology, and a unique approach to lightweight, long lasting, self-recharging jellyfish-inspired floats to fill an oceanographic sensing capability gap for the Navy. Our experience in bio-inspired robot (including jellyfish), nonconventional actuation, and energy harvesting development promises to provide ...

The US Navy recognizes the potential for “big data” to facilitate force readiness. However, the analysis of such data presents numerous challenges, among them, (1) the evolving nature of Navy tactics, hindering apples-to-apples comparisons; (2) the presence of many interdependent platforms, making data complex; and (3) presenting analyses to humans, making understandability important. Aptima� ...

ATR proposes the development of an innovative Advanced Dual-Purpose Elevator System (ADPES) that can be installed on an Expeditionary Base Mobile (ESB) so that aircraft and cargo can be transferred from the flight deck to the mission bay and watercraft like the Combatant Craft Medium (CCM) can be launched and recovered from mission bay to the sea. The ADPES consists of a submersible platform and t ...