Award Data

EPPI proposes to develop a miniaturized pulsed power generator that produces a short duration, high current and high voltage pulse. The chemical energy available from high explosives is 5000 Joules per gram. The challenge is to efficiently convert the chemical energy to electrical energy. Flux Compression Generator (FCG) efficiencies of several percent have already been demonstrated. A 5 cubic ...

AeroSoft proposes the development of efficient and accurate Computational Fluid Dynamics methods for calculating the airflow characteristics over complex bodies with time-dependent, Reynolds-Averaged, Navier-Stokes equations which have been augmented to allow for dynamic meshes as well as non-equilibrium chemistry and thermodynamics. The dynamic-mesh approach proposed here is based on ...

Modern medical equipment has become increasingly vulnerable to disruption by external signals. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) from both medical and non-medical systems has been blamed for a variety of disruptions, in some cases leading to death. The high cost of EMI has prevented manufacturers from carrying out extensive characterizations of their systems. Fiore intends to reduce the cost p ...

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) systems are currently needed to serve a variety of Navy missions. One of the components of UWB systems that requires much careful thought and innovation is the antennas, since most of the classical antennas are useful only for more narrow bandwidths. Recently, a class of antenna known as Impulse Radiating Antennas (IRA) have received considerable attention. Th ...

For this Phase I effort, Observera, Inc. proposes to develop a model based approach for deriving the parameters of an airborne imaging unit from the images collected during its flight. In order to concentrate Phase I efforts on feasibility and on the difficult problems of (1) developing the sensor model, (2) developing its associated error model, and (3) deriving an approach to correct an initial ...

Environmental monitoring of trace gas species is becoming an increasingly important area of concern for both private and government sectors. Desirable characteristics for such sensors include portability, low power requirements, high sensitivity, rapid response and low maintenance. A semiconductor laser based sensor can meet all of these requirements. Recent advances in semiconductor laser tech ...

A program is presented to design, fabricate and test the feasibility of utilizing Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels in SMART aircraft bolt applications for damage detection and monitoring. TRIP steels offer the potential of serving as inherently SMART, high-strength structural fastener materials in critical aircraft locations since they can be formulated to change solid-state atomic ...

A new class of hydrogen-switched pulsars has been under development recently. These pulsars can have risetimes as fast as 150 ps, peak powers as high as 100 GW, and repetition rates as fast as 1 kHz. Examples such as the "H2" and "H3" pulsars developed by Phillips Laboratory have already been built and tested, and a new design that should reach 100 GW, called "HASP," is currently being built. A d ...

RECONFIGURABLE, FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS OFFER SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SURVIVABILITY, RELIABILITY, AND MAINTAINABILITY OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND IN THE SAFETY OF FLIGHT OPERATIONS OF BOTH MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT. HOWEVER, ON-LINE LEARNING MUST BE INCLUDED TO REALIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THESE SYSTEMS BECAUSE IT IS IMPRACTICAL TO DESIGN IN ADVANCE FOR THE VARIETY AND COMBINATORIAL COMPLE ...

RESEARCH FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT INDICATES THAT THE STRESS OF COMBAT CONDITIONS IS A PRIMARY SOURCE OF TASK AND MISSION PERFORMANCE DECREMENT. YET, IT IS THE TRUE TEST OF MILITARY SYSTEMS AND PERSONNEL THAT THEY OPERATE EFFECTIVELY IN THIS STRESS ENVIRONMENT. ONE OPTIMAL INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY TO OVERCOME THIS DEGRADATION IS TO ALLOW TRAINING AND PRACTICE OF CRITICAL SKILLS UNDER THE STRE ...