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Optically Interrogated Thin Film Strain Gauge for Balloon

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: 80NSSC18P2080
Agency Tracking Number: 186932
Amount: $124,975.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: S3
Solicitation Number: SBIR_18_P1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2018
Award Year: 2018
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2018-07-27
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2019-02-15
Small Business Information
16 Great Hollow Road
Hanover, NH 03755-3116
United States
DUNS: 072021041
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Marc Ramsey
 (603) 643-3800
 mcr@creare.com
Business Contact
 Sheryl Belanger
Title: Contracts Manager
Phone: (603) 643-3800
Email: contractsmgr@creare.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

To support development of atmospheric balloons and gossamer structures, NASA requires a capability for real-time, dynamic strain measurement in thin polymeric membranes during deployment and flight.  This capability will provide quantitative test data to inform balloon design efforts, as well as enable real-time monitoring of material state during flight.  Existing technologies include wired or wireless electrical or fiber-optic strain gauges, impractical to implement on a thin membrane; photogrammetric techniques that require multiple cameras, detailed knowledge of nominal balloon geometry, and significant post-processing computation; and exotic optical techniques that are unsuited for large scale, dynamic balloon testing and flight.  We will develop a completely novel measurement system based on an optically-interrogated thin-film elastomer strain gauge that will provide sensitive, real-time, two-component strain measurement in balloon gores.  A large number of the low modulus, thin-film sensors distributed across the balloon will be interrogated remotely at high frequency with a single camera that can be mounted on the payload.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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