Award Data

This exploratory development program is a study of existing means of attaching hardware to composite materials in general. Special attention for mounting racks, brackets, modular armor and other types of equipment and hardware on combat and tactical vehicle will be provided. These vehicles use all types and shapes of composite structure including: solid laminates, thin wall composites, pultrusion, ...

We propose an in-situ real-time method whereby metal-laden aerosols can be processed to give a steady state concentration of metal atoms suitable for detection via atomic absorption spectrometry. Our method eliminates the need for extraction and concentration procedures and it employs inexpensive and proven technology. Unlike techniques in which atomic emission is monitored, our approach is insens ...

One of the most challenging information management problems related to the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) missions is the real-time spatio-temporal fusion of target-specific cues from a netwotk of multiple sensor platforms. A robust algorithmic framework is necessary to involve the multiple agents together and achieve the optimal trade-off between low false alarm rate ...

Building on our previous experience in pulsed-discharged-based optical diagnostics, Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) will construct, calibrate, and deliver a prototype, real-time monitor for lead. Employing laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS), the prototype will allow quantitative lead detection in paint and on firing ranges. A pulsed Nd/YAG laser will generate the breakdown. Fiber-optic del ...

The firm proposes to conduct a research on turboshaft engine control and accessory technologies. The specific technology to be developed a simplified, unsteady-flow dynamic model of an engine gas generator which is suitable for the analysis and design of advanced turbine engine controls. Two motivations of the proposed work are: 1) a lack of efficient model to support the design and simulation o ...

Mine detection technology has not kept pace with the the advances in mine technology and the widespread proliferation of mine usage. The mine/minefield detection problem is complicated by numerous variables which. influence the process. Thus, solutions to problems such as the robust mine detection sensors and algorithms requires a fundamental understanding of information fusion as applied to aut ...

Current chemically protective clothing is expensive to produce in part because of the time and labor required to first make sewn seams, and then to hot-air weld adhesive fabric tape over the seams to prevent penetration along the seam thread. Stitchless, ultrasonically-welded fabris seams while as impermeable as the base fabric must also be taped, to improve the seam strength and durability. Meri ...

Coherent laser radar has proven its utility in measuring wind velocity fields up to the stratosphere, detecting wind shear, mapping wake vortices, and tracking air pollutants, yet it remains a diagnostic firmly rooted in the laboratory. The full potential of this technology will not be realized until simple, rugged systems are developed that can be left alone to routinely perform their measuremen ...

A number of applications in other commercial as well as military sectors require that multiple distributed data sources be consulted when a specific need arises, and that the results of these consultations be presented to the user. Often, these results are complex and involve multiple documents. Presentation of such results involves automatically generating browsable documents so that the user c ...

Be-Al alloys are unique, light weight, in-situ composite alloys that combine high specific stiffness and substantial strength with good ductility and toughness. This conibination of properties makes these alloys attractive for many high performance aerospace applications. Nuclear Metals, Inc. (NMI) has developed a new family of castable Be-Al alloys and the manufacturing processes necessary to p ...