Award Data

Adaptive spatio-temporal filtering methods are proposed which are inherently suitable to utilizing many sensors and actuators to achieve superior control and monitoring of structures for vibration and shape control and damage detection. When utilizing large numbers of sensors and actuators, failure detection and failure recovery become important issues. The adaptive spatio-temporal filtering metho ...

The objective of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of spray forming aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) in the solid-state physical form as a light weight structural material. It is anticipated that this innovative manufacturing process will provide opportunities to fabricate near-net-shape spacecraft and interceptor structures with unique material properties. The process called S ...

This Phase I SBIR demonstrates the underlying technology required to construct an ultraspectral imager that has the ability to spectrally resolve molecular absorption lines while simultaneously creating a two dimensional spatial mapping. The proposed instrument will have a spectral resolution that is better than 2 cm-1 and two dimensional spatial resolution that exceeds 2 milliradian. Based on Fou ...

OPTICS USED IN SENSORS OR MISSILE SYSTEMS ARE MADE FROM SAPPHIRE, OR SILICON CARBIDE BECAUSE OF THEIR EXCELLENT OPTICAL OR INSULATING PROPERTIES, THEIR INERT, AND THEIR ABILITY TO RESIST HARSH ENVIRONMENTS. POLISHING SAPPHIRE BY MECHANICAL OR MECHANOCHEMICAL METHODS INDUCES RESIDUAL DAMAGE AND LIMITS THE OVERALL SURFACE ROUGHNESS (USUALLY AROUND 1 MICROINCH). THIS ROUGHNESS PRODUCES SCATTERING CEN ...

The application of high-temperature refractory materials such as rhenium, iridium and tungsten to liquid rocket engines holds substantial potential for improvement in the life of the components. Currently, Ir-Re rocket engines and thrusters are manufactured by chemical vapor deposition. Although this technique has been successful, it is plagued by prohibitively high costs and low rate of product ...

The objective of this Phase I is to develop a high quality, high speed, cost effective technique for polishing silicon carbide mirrors that are machined using single point diamond turning methods. The finished optic should have a more perfectly polished surface with uniform shape and thickness than is presently being produced. We will achieve this by using two different approaches, a novel non-con ...

Liquid rocket engine performance can be dramatically improved by increasing the wall temperatures for operation concurrent with a reduction in the component weight. The bipropellant fuel combustion temperatures are between 3000 "approx" 3500 C. The conventional thrusters and exit nozzles made of niobium alloys have a maximum operating temperature limit of 1600 C. A regenerative cooling technolo ...

SiC has exceptionally high thermal conductivity and low linear expansion coefficient to resist thermal distortion, high elastic modulus to resist pressure and bowing distortion. It is lightweight and wear resistant. It also has excellent corrosion resistance and outstanding load bearing characteristics at elevated temperatures. Its hardness is only surpassed by diamond, CBN and boron carbide. As ...

As electronic packaging densities increase, more heat is being generated per unit area. The reliability of electronic components is, therefore, increasingly dependent on the ability to transfer heat. Current chip performance is limited in keeping up with the increased power densities, 30% of which is attributed to packaging materials. The disadvantages of current methods of fabrication of thermal ...

Aluminum nitride is as an ideal thermal management material since it has a very high thermal conductivity and its electrical resistivity is comparable to that of ceramic insulators. Aluminum nitride has thermal conductivity five times greater than alumina and has mechanical strength twice that of alumina and beryllium oxide. The current methods of synthesizing and consolidating aluminum nitride re ...