Award Data

Current design tools for gas turbine engines invoke a variety of simplifying assumptions to estimate heat transfer to solid/metal engine components (e.g., isothermal boundary conditions). These approximations are often not valid, result in inaccurate predictions of heat transfer, and ultimately compromise the thermal integrity of propulsion and power systems. Wall-modeled large eddy simulation (WM ...

Laser guide stars (LGS) are artificial sources of light produced by laser-induced fluorescence from sodium atoms in the mesosphere between 85 km and 100 km altitude. The fluorescence can be detected on the ground with a telescope and used as a reference for compensating atmospheric aberrations in astronomical and space observations in conjunction with an adaptive optics system. Sodium LGS are vita ...

Carbon-carbon (C-C) composites are used in the fabrication of aeroshells and thermal protection systems (TPS) in hypersonic and atmospheric reentry applications because they maintain their strength at elevated temperatures and have desirable thermal conductivity properties. Although these materials have been used in mission-critical components for decades, the effects of variations in processing m ...

As the orbital space around the earth gets more and more crowded with civilian and military reconnaissance, weather, tracking, communication, and navigation satellites - civilian and military users become increasingly dependent on the services provided by these spacecraft. This situation increases the possibility of offense actions against some or all of these spacecraft. The possibility calls for ...

In this Phase II STTR Project, Team UtopiaCompression (UC) will adapt its 3D ultrasound prototype device to address key research questions posed by AF TPOC and end-users (in particular, Eglin AFB Medical Community- Invisible Wounds Center, family/concussion clinics and emergency rooms). The prototype uses an innovative ultrasound design technology to capture 3D data of anatomical structures (here, ...

OLGS is developing an automated tourniquet system. It is an intuitive device that works with the push of a button. The user only needs to know 'high-and-tight' and push the button for the tourniquet to be effective. It contains a band with wires embedded that is tightened by a motor-driven spool. It also contains a micro-controller unit with integrated sensors to ensure limb occlusion pressure is ...

Hypersonic systems travelling above the speed of Mach 5 impart intense thermal stress on the airframe, requiring the use of refractory alloys to withstand the heat. The leading edges of hypersonic airframes and scramjet engine intakes are required to be sharp, smooth, and highly accurate to reduce drag and prevent unwanted shock waves due to manufacturing errors. Additionally, rocket engines, both ...

Great Lakes Crystal Technologies (GLCT) is partnered with Michigan State University (MSU) to develop novel diamond materials for research and evaluation at Air Force Research Laboratory for applications in quantum communications. The technical effort seeks to build upon advanced plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology licensed by GLCT which was developed at MSU by scientists at ...

The proposed project will develop subject-specific FE models of the head and integrate them with a full body finite element model. The combination of patient-specific head geometries with the generalized body model will provide a platform with which to apply improved boundary conditions for the head and neck, including applied muscle tension and the application of appropriate kinematics of the hea ...

Service design is an emerging, but proven discipline for transforming user experiences by designing, aligning, and optimizing an organization's operation (people, processes, technology, etc.) to better support customer journeys. During Phase I, we conducted research and determined the feasibility of using an "accelerator model" to galvanize the rapid adoption of service design across the USAF, sta ...