ARMY
SBIR 08.2 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
The U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) is responsible for execution of the Army SBIR program. Information on the Army SBIR Program can be found at the following website: https://www.armysbir.com/.
Solicitation, topic, and general questions regarding the SBIR program should be addressed according to the DoD portion of this solicitation. For technical questions about the topic during the pre-Solicitation period, contact the Topic Authors listed for each topic in the Solicitation. To obtain answers to technical questions during the formal Solicitation period, visit http://www.dodsbir.net/sitis. For general inquiries or problems with the electronic submission, contact the DoD Help Desk at 1-866-724-7457 (8am to 5pm EST). Specific questions pertaining to the Army SBIR program should be submitted to:
Susan Nichols
Program Manager, Army SBIR
US Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM)
ATTN: AMSRD-SS-SBIR
6000 6th Street, Suite 100
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5608
(703) 806-2085
FAX: (703) 806-2044
The Army participates in one DoD SBIR Solicitation each year. Proposals not conforming to the terms of this Solicitation will not be considered. The Army reserves the right to limit awards under any topic, and only those proposals of superior scientific and technical quality will be funded. Only Government personnel will evaluate proposals with the exception of technical personnel from General Dynamics Information Technology, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and Azimuth, Inc. who will provide Advisory and Assistance Services to the Army, providing technical analysis in the evaluation of proposals submitted against Army topic numbers: A08-121 (General Dynamics Information Technology) and A08-123 (SAIC and Azimuth, Inc.).
Individuals from General Dynamics Information Technology, SAIC, and Azimuth, Inc. will be authorized access to only those portions of the proposal data and discussions that are necessary to enable them to perform their respective duties. These firms are expressly prohibited from competing for SBIR awards and from scoring or ranking of proposals or recommending the selection of a source. In accomplishing their duties related to the source selection process, the aforementioned firms may require access to proprietary information contained in the offerors' proposals. Therefore, pursuant to FAR 9.505-4, these firms must execute an agreement that states that they will (1) protect the offerors’ information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and (2) refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. These agreements will remain on file with the Army SBIR program management office at the address above.
SUBMISSION OF ARMY SBIR PROPOSALS
The entire proposal (which includes Cover Sheets, Technical Proposal, Cost Proposal, and Company Commercialization Report) must be submitted electronically via the DoD SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission Site (http://www.dodsbir.net/submission). The Army prefers that small businesses complete the Cost Proposal form on the DoD Submission site, versus submitting within the body of the uploaded proposal. The Army WILL NOT accept any proposals which are not submitted via this site. Do not send a hardcopy of the proposal. Hand or electronic signature on the proposal is also NOT required. If the proposal is selected for award, the DoD Component program will contact you for signatures. If you experience problems uploading a proposal, call the DoD Help Desk 1-866-724-7457 (8am to 5pm EST). Selection and non-selection letters will be sent electronically via e-mail.
Army Phase I proposals have a 20-page limit (excluding the Cost Proposal and the Company Commercialization Report). Pages in excess of the 20-page limitation will not be considered in the evaluation of the proposal (including attachments, appendices, or references, but excluding the Cost Proposal and Company Commercialization Report).
Any proposal involving the use of Bio Hazard Materials must identify in the Technical Proposal whether the contractor has been certified by the Government to perform Bio Level - I, II or III work.
Companies should plan carefully for research involving animal or human subjects, or requiring access to government resources of any kind. Animal or human research must be based on formal protocols that are reviewed and approved both locally and through the Army's committee process. Resources such as equipment, reagents, samples, data, facilities, troops or recruits, and so forth, must all be arranged carefully. The few months available for a Phase I effort may preclude plans including these elements, unless coordinated before a contract is awarded.
If the offeror proposes to use a foreign national(s) [any person who is NOT a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, or a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) – refer to Section 2.15 at the front of this solicitation for definitions of “lawful permanent resident” and “protected individual”] as key personnel, they must be clearly identified. For foreign nationals, you must provide resumes, country of origin and an explanation of the individual’s involvement.
No Class 1 Ozone Depleting Chemicals/Ozone Depleting Substances will be allowed for use in this procurement without prior Government approval.
Phase I Proposals must describe the "vision" or "end-state" of the research and the most likely strategy or path for transition of the SBIR project from research to an operational capability that satisfies one or more Army operational or technical requirements in a new or existing system, larger research program, or as a stand-alone product or service.
PHASE I OPTION MUST BE INCLUDED AS PART OF PHASE I PROPOSAL
The Army implemented the use of a Phase I Option that may be exercised to fund interim Phase I activities while a Phase II contract is being negotiated. Only Phase I efforts selected for Phase II awards through the Army’s competitive process will be eligible to exercise the Phase I Option. The Phase I Option, which must be included as part of the Phase I proposal, covers activities over a period of up to four months and should describe appropriate initial Phase II activities that may lead to the successful demonstration of a product or technology. The Phase I Option must be included within the 20-page limit for the Phase I proposal.
08.2 Solicitation Pre-release April 21 –May 18, 2008
08.2 Solicitation Opens May 19 – June 18, 2008
Phase I Evaluations June – August 2008
Phase I Selections August 2008
Phase I Awards October 2008*
*Subject to the Congressional Budget process
PHASE II PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
Note! Phase II Proposal Submission is by Army Invitation only. Small businesses are invited in writing by the Army to submit a Phase II proposal from Phase I projects based upon Phase I progress to date and the continued relevance of the project to future Army requirements. The Army exercises discretion on whether a Phase I award recipient is invited to propose for Phase II. Invitations are generally issued no earlier than five months after the Phase I contract award, with the Phase II proposals generally due one month later. In accordance with SBA policy, the Army reserves the right to negotiate mutually acceptable Phase II proposal submission dates with individual Phase I awardees, accomplish proposal reviews expeditiously, and proceed with Phase II awards.
Invited small businesses are required to develop and submit a technology transition and commercialization plan describing feasible approaches for transitioning and/or commercializing the developed technology in their Phase II proposal. Army Phase II cost proposals must contain a budget for the entire 24 month Phase II period not to exceed the maximum dollar amount of $730,000. During contract negotiation, the contracting officer may require a cost proposal for a base year and an option year. These costs must be submitted using the Cost Proposal format (accessible electronically on the DoD submission site), and may be presented side-by-side on a single Cost Proposal Sheet. The total proposed amount should be indicated on the Proposal Cover Sheet as the Proposed Cost. Phase II projects will be evaluated after the base year prior to extending funding for the option year.
Fast Track (see section 4.5 at the front of the Program Solicitation). Small businesses that participate in the Fast Track program do not require an invitation. Small businesses must submit (1) the Fast Track application within 150 days after the effective date of the SBIR phase I contract and (2) the Phase II proposal within 180 days after the effective date of its Phase I contract.
CONTRACTOR MANPOWER REPORTING APPLICATION (CMRA)
Accounting for Contract Services, otherwise known as Contractor Manpower Reporting Application (CMRA), is a Department of Defense Business Initiative Council (BIC) sponsored program to obtain better visibility of the contractor service workforce. This reporting requirement applies to all Army SBIR contracts.
Beginning in the DoD 2006.2 SBIR solicitation, offerors are instructed to include an estimate for the cost of complying with CMRA as part of the cost proposal for Phase I ($70,000 max), Phase I Option ($50,000 max), and Phase II ($730,000 max), under “CMRA Compliance” in Other Direct Costs. This is an estimated total cost (if any) that would be incurred to comply with the CMRA requirement. Only proposals that receive an award will be required to deliver CMRA reporting, i.e. if the proposal is selected and an award is made, the contract will include a deliverable for CMRA.
To date, there has been a wide range of estimated costs for CMRA. While most final negotiated costs have been minimal, there appears to be some higher cost estimates that can often be attributed to misunderstanding the requirement. The SBIR program desires for the Government to pay a fair and reasonable price. This technical analysis is intended to help determine this fair and reasonable price for CMRA as it applies to SBIR contracts.
· The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) operates and maintains the secure CMRA System. The CMRA website is located here: https://cmra.army.mil/.
· The CMRA requirement consists of the following items,
which are located within the contract document, the contractor's existing cost
accounting system (i.e. estimated direct labor hours, estimated direct labor dollars),
or obtained from the contracting officer representative:
(1) Contract number, including task and delivery order number;
(2) Contractor name, address, phone number, e-mail address, identity of contractor employee entering data;
(3) Estimated direct labor hours (including sub-contractors);
(4) Estimated direct labor dollars paid this reporting period (including sub-contractors);
(5) Predominant Federal Service Code (FSC) reflecting services provided by contractor (and separate predominant FSC for each sub-contractor if different);
(6) Organizational title associated with the Unit Identification Code (UIC) for the Army Requiring Activity (The Army Requiring Activity is responsible for providing the contractor with its UIC for the purposes of reporting this information);
(7) Locations where contractor and sub-contractors perform the work (specified by zip code in the United States and nearest city, country, when in an overseas location, using standardized nomenclature provided on website);
· The reporting period will be the period of performance not to exceed 12 months ending September 30 of each government fiscal year and must be reported by 31 October of each calendar year.
· According to the required CMRA contract language, the contractor may use a direct XML data transfer to the Contractor Manpower Reporting System database server or fill in the fields on the Government website. The CMRA website also has a no-cost CMRA XML Converter Tool.
Given the small size of our SBIR contracts and companies, it is our opinion that the modification of contractor payroll systems for automatic XML data transfer is not in the best interest of the Government. CMRA is an annual reporting requirement that can be achieved through multiple means to include manual entry, MS Excel spreadsheet development, or use of the free Government XML converter tool. The annual reporting should take less than a few hours annually by an administrative level employee. Depending on labor rates, we would expect the total annual cost for SBIR companies to not exceed $500 annually, or to be included in overhead rates.
COMMERCIALIZATION PILOT PROGRAM (CPP)
In FY07, the Army initiated a CPP with a focused set of SBIR projects. The objective of the effort was to increase Army SBIR technology transition and commercialization success and accelerate the fielding of capabilities to Soldiers. The ultimate measure of success for the CPP is the Return on Investment (ROI), i.e. the further investment and sales of SBIR Technology as compared to the Army investment in the SBIR Technology. The CPP will: 1) assess and identify SBIR projects and companies with high transition potential that meet high priority requirements; 2) provide market research and business plan development; 3) match SBIR companies to customers and facilitate collaboration; 4) prepare detailed technology transition plans and agreements; 5) make recommendations and facilitate additional funding for select SBIR projects that meet the criteria identified above; and 6) track metrics and measure results for the SBIR projects within the CPP.
Based on its assessment of the SBIR project’s potential for transition as described above, the Army will utilize a CPP investment fund of SBIR dollars targeted to enhance ongoing Phase II activities with expanded research, development, test and evaluation to accelerate transition and commercialization. The CPP investment fund must be expended according to all applicable SBIR policy on existing Phase II contracts. The size and timing of these enhancements will be dictated by the specific research requirements, availability of matching funds, proposed transition strategies, and individual contracting arrangements.
NON-PROPRIETARY SUMMARY REPORTS
All award winners must submit a Non-Proprietary Summary Report at the end of their Phase I project. The summary report is an unclassified, non-sensitive, and non-proprietary summation of Phase I results that is intended for public viewing on the Army SBIR / STTR Small Business Area. This summary report is in addition to the required Final Technical Report. The Non-Proprietary Summary Report should not exceed 700 words, and must include the technology description and anticipated applications / benefits for government and or private sector use. It should require minimal work from the contractor because most of this information is required in the final technical report. The summary report shall be submitted in accordance with the format and instructions posted within the Army SBIR Small Business Portal at http://www.armysbir.com/smallbusinessportal/Firm/Login.aspx. This requirement for a final summary report will also apply to any subsequent Phase II contract.
ARMY SUBMISSION OF FINAL TECHNICAL REPORTS
All final technical reports will be submitted to the awarding Army organization in accordance with Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL). Companies should not submit final reports directly to the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).
ARMY SBIR
A08-015 Sensor Validation for Turboshaft Engine Torque Sensors
A08-016 High Performance Computing for Rotorcraft Structural Dynamics
A08-017 Advanced Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis
A08-018 Light Weight Collective Pitch Control Systems for Swashplateless
A08-019 Sensor Guided Flight for Unmanned Air Vehicles
A08-020 Innovative Pitch Link Actuators for Individual Blade Control (IBC)
A08-021 Innovative Systems for Reduction of Rotorcraft Hub Drag
A08-022 Practical Composite Rotor Blade and Wing Structural Design Tool for Aeromechanical Assessments in Conceptual
A08-023 Reinforced High Temperature Titanium Metal Matrix Composite Systems For Impeller Applications in Advanced Army Turboshaft Engines
A08-024 Lightweight Metallics for Cargo Helicopter Main Rotor Shaft Applications
A08-025 On-Line Oil Condition and Metal Wear Analysis Sensor
A08-026 Advanced Manufacturing methods for Composite Gearbox Housings for Rotorcraft Applications
Aviation and Missile RD&E Center (Missile) Otho Thomas (256) 842-9227
A08-027 Effects of High Temperature on Solid Propellants: Insights Into Their Effects on Slow and Fast Cookoff responses Toward Insensitive Munitions
A08-028 Complementary Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE)/Testing (NDT) Techniques for Stockpile Reliability Programs (SRP) of U.S. Army Tectical Missile Systems
A08-029 Thermal Management in a Composite Skin Missile Airframe
A08-030 Improved environmental protection for Zinc Sulfide
A08-031 Advanced Adaptive Maneuvering Air Vehicle
A08-032 Advanced Scramjet Engine/Vehicle Design
A08-033 Transpiration Cooling Computational Fluid Dynamics Submodel
A08-034 Low Power Electronics and Energy Harvesting for Anti-tamper Applications
A08-035 High Aspect Ratio EMI Grid Application Technique
A08-036 Novel Energetic Polymers
A08-037 Low Cost Production of Domes Using Freeze Casting or Similar Technology
A08-038 Vision Based Adjunct Navigation Technologies
A08-039 Prognostics for the Full, Net-Centric, Plug and Fight Integration of Army Air and Missile Defense Systems (AMD)
A08-040 Accurate and Reliable Rocket Thruster Technology
A08-041 Improved Field of Regard for Strap Down Semi Active Laser Seekers
Armament RD&E Center (ARDEC) Carol L'Hommedieu (973) 724-4029
A08-042 Novel Structural Reactive Materials
A08-043 High Voltage, High Current, Solid State Switches
A08-044 Innovative Tantalum Machining for Weapon Applications
A08-045 Reusable and Adaptable Cognitive Decision Aids Components For Remote Weapon Stations
A08-046 Novel Efficient and Compact Diode-pumped Rod Gain Modules for Ultra Short Pulsed (USP) Lasers
A08-047 Edge-pumped Composites for Ultra-Short Pulse (USP) Lasers
A08-048 Biogically Inspired Processor
A08-049 Structurally Integrated Position and Orientation Sensor and Seeker Technologies
A08-050 Novel Titanium Alloys for Improved Workability and Formability
A08-051 High Resolution Multispectral X-ray Imaging
A08-052 Development of Nanothermite-Based Microthrusters
A08-053 Thermal Sensing and Responsive Materials for Environmental Monitoring
A08-054 Spectrally and Spatially Foveated Multi/Hyperspectral Camera
A08-055 Compact Unit for Eye-safe Standoff Explosive Detection
Army Research Laboratory (ARL) John Goon (301) 394-4288
A08-056 Bio-Inspired Battlefield Environmental Situation Awareness
A08-057 Urban Illumination for Soldier Simulations and Close-Combat Target
A08-058 Situation Awareness Assessment Tools for Network Enabled Command and Control Field Evaluations
A08-059 A psychologically inspired object recognition system
A08-060 Hearing Protection Evaluation System
A08-061 Eyesafe laser diode arrays for resonant pumping of Er-doped gain media optimized for cryogenicalled cooled operation
A08-062 Fully Flexible Information Electronics with a Flexible Display
A08-063 Bi-functional anode and High Temperature Electrolyte Membrane for Reforming Methanol Fuel Cell (RMFC)
A08-064 Utilizing Computational Imaging for Laser Intensity Reduction at CCD Focal Planes
A08-065 Desulfurization of JP-8 Fuel by Adsorption of Oxidized Organic Sulfur Compunds
A08-066 Development of a Device Capable
of Rapid isolation of DNA Capture Elements for Biotechnology Applications
A08-067 Metamaterial Antennas for Army Platforms
A08-068 Cold Spray Nanostructured Powders
A08-069 Scalable & Adaptive Munitions Technologies
A08-070 Full Field, Out-of-Plane Digital Image Correlation (DIC) from Ultra-High Speed Digital Cameras
A08-071 Self-decontaminating materials using organocatalysts
A08-072 A 250-W Solid Acid Electrolyte Fuel Cell Generator
A08-073 Hydroxyl Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
A08-074 Development of a Fieldable Brain Trauma Analyzer System
A08-075 Terahertz Intracavity Spectrometer
A08-076 Nano-composite Semiconductor Lasers
A08-077 Large Area, High Power Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes
Communication-Electronics RD&E Center (CERDEC) Suzanne Weeks (732) 427-3275
A08-078 Detection and Location of Home Made Electro-Optical Booby Traps
A08-079 Precision Extraction and Characterization of Lines of Communication from Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Data
A08-080 Radio Frequency Over Fiber in Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Platforms
A08-081 Persistent Multi-Intelligence Perimeter Sensing
A08-082 Event and Temporal Reasoning Ontology's for Unstructured Data
A08-083 Advanced Modular/Reconfigurable Cooling Techniques for Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warface (SIGINT/EW) Systems
A08-084 High Isolation Transmit/Receive Antennas for Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) and Communications Applications
A08-085 Recognition of Non-Native Speakers
A08-086 Common Aperture Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) (CAGE)
A08-087 Dismounted Combat Identification
A08-088 Command and Control Translation System in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework
A08-089 Quality of Service Traffic Manager
A08-090 High Performance Electrochemical Capacitor Using Nanomaterials for Electrodes.
A08-091 Superior High Energy Density and High Rate Rechargeable Lithium ion Battery for Army applications
A08-092 Automated Planning Software For A Dynamic Heterogeneous Collection Of Manned And Unmanned Entities
A08-093 Counterinsurgency Campaign Design Tool Based on Logical Lines of Operation and Wiki-Inspired Knowledge Capture
A08-094 Dynamic Data Model Implementation for Context Sensitive User Interface and Embedded Semantic
A08-095 Wireless Intra-Soldier Data Reception and Transmission
A08-096 Precision Gyroscopes for Gyro-Compassing in Man-Portable Target Locator Systems
A08-097 Standoff Detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs), or Landmines
A08-098 Stabilized Laser Beam Pointing
A08-099 Optimal Detection of Buried Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) in Clutter
A08-100 Visible to Shortwave Infrared Solid State Silicon-Germanium Imagiging Camera Development
A08-101 Advanced System Tunability for Infrared (IR) Imagers Using Enhanced User-Controlled Parameters
A08-102 Cathodoluminescence Defect Characterization for Medium Wavelength Infrared (MWIR) and Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe
A08-103 Passivation Innovations for Large Format Reduced Pixel pitch strained layer superlattice Focal Plane Array Imagers Operating in the Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) Band
A08-104 Armor Embedded Metamaterial Antenna
A08-105 Multicast Admission Control for Multi-Domain Secure Ad Hoc Networks
A08-106 Advanced Cooling for Satellite Communications On-the-Move Antennas
A08-107 Secure IPv6 Multicasting
A08-108 Software Defined Radio Tool Suite
A08-109 Enhanced Magnetic Communications
A08-110 Gallium Nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Power Amplifier
A08-111 All Digital Transmitter Digital to Analog Converter and High Bandwidth Signal Combiner
A08-112 Conformal Omni-Directional Antenna Design for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC) Theresa Salls (603) 646-4591
A08-113 Acoustic Detection and Verification of Intrusions against Military Facilities
A08-114 Large Area Spatial Urban-Noise Characterization for Anomaly Detection
JPEO Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO CBD) Larry Pollack (703) 767-3307
A08-115 Fast-Scan, High-Performance, Portable Imaging Spectrometer for Chemical-Biological Sensing
A08-116 Integrated Power-Microclimate Cooling System for the Soldier
Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) COL Terry Besch (301) 619-3354
A08-117 Imaging Device for the Assessment of Airways in Combat Casualties with Inhalation Injury due to Burns, Smoke, or Toxic Gases
A08-118 Malaria Diagnostic Methods to Replace Microscopy in Clinical Trials
A08-119 Non-invasive near-infrared devices for monitoring hemodynamics, tissue viability, and perfusion for combat casualty care
A08-120 An Integrated Physical Therapy/ Rehabilitation Robotic System for Military Healthcare Enhancement
A08-121 Unmanned Ground & Air System for CBRNE Contaminated Personnel Recovery
A08-122 Multiplexed Assay for the Detection of Wound-related Pathogens
A08-123 Prodrugs
PEO Ammunition Seham Salazar (973) 724-2536
William Sharp (973) 724-7144
A08-124 Highly Agile Command Deployable Vehicle Arresting System
A08-125 Advance Antenna and Processing Solutions for Multi-Functional Target Detection System
PEO Aviation Iris Pruitt (256) 313-4975
Rusty Graves (256) 842-4999
A08-126 Improved mini Ku band antenna for TCDL
A08-127 Emergency Anti-torque System for Rotary Wing Aircraft (Manned and Unmanned)
PEO Combat Support & Combat Service Support Mark Mazzara (586) 574-8032
A08-128 JP-8 Fuel Effects on High Pressure Common Rail Pumps
PEO Enterprise Information Systems Rajat Ray (703) 806-4116
Ed Velez (703) 806-0670
A08-129 Encrypt/Decrypt Mobile Devices with Biometric Signature
PEO Ground Combat Systems Peter Haniak (586) 574-8671
Jose Mabesa (586) 574-6751
A08-130 Dexterous Manipulation for Non-Line-of-Sight Articulated Manipulators
A08-131 Tools, Techniques and Materials for Lightweight Tracks
PEO Soldier King Dixon (703) 704-3309
Jason Regnier (703) 704-1469
A08-132 Variable Optical Transmission Lens for Integrated Eyewear Protection
PEO Simulation, Training, & Instrumentation Robert Forbis (407) 384-3884
A08-133 Dynamic Terrain System Process Development
A08-134 Game Interface for the OneSAF Computer Generated Forces Simulation
PM Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team Fran Rush (703) 676-0124
A08-135 Development of a small LADAR sensor for a Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV)
A08-136 Video Compression Techniques for Tactical Wireless Networks
Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) Dimitrios Lianos (256) 955-3223
A08-137 High Energy Laser Component Technology for Eye-Safer Fiber Lasers
A08-138 Advanced Ferroelectric Materials for Explosive Pulsed Power for Missiles and Munitions
A08-139 Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) pumps for Reduced Eye Hazard Wavelength High Energy Fiber Lasers
A08-140 Lightweight Electro-Optical/Infrared Payload
A08-141 Lightweight High Altitude/On-Orbit Reprogrammable Two-Way Communications Payload
Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC) Thao Pham (407) 384-5460
A08-142 Automated Generation of Underground Structures
Tank Automotive RD&E Center (TARDEC) Jim Mainero (586) 574-8646
Martin Novak (586) 574-8730
A08-143 MODELING OF THE IMPACT RESPONSE OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL COMPOSITE ARMOR
A08-144 Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) for Ground Vehicles
A08-145 Semi-Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Control
A08-146 Rapid Field Test Method(s) to Measure Additives in Military Fuel
A08-147 Automated Algorithm Generator for Ground Vehicle Diagnostics/Prognostics
A08-148 Distributed Services Framework for Mobile Ad-hoc Networks
A08-149 Sensors for Vehicle Health Monitoring
A08-150 Smart Sensor Network for Platform Structural Health Monitoring
A08-151 Realistic High Fidelity Dynamic Terrain Representation
A08-152 Vehicle Dynamics and Motion Drive for Realtime Simulators
A08-153 Improved Thermal Management Systems using Advanced Materials and Fluids
A08-154 High Temperature Capacitors for Hybrid Electric Vehicles
A08-155 Safe, Low-Cost Cylindrical and Prismatic Nickel-Zinc Batteries for Hybrid Vehicles
A08-156 Exportable Vehicle Power Using Cognitive Power Management
A08-157 Real-time In-line Water Quality Monitoring
A08-158 Measuring Fuel Quantity in Bulk Containers
A08-159 Advanced Additives to Improve Fire Resistant Fuels (FRF)
A08-160 Intelligent Multi-modal Ground Robotic Mobility
A08-161 Tactical Vehicle Underbody Blast Energy Absorber Kit
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
PROPOSAL CHECKLIST
This is a Checklist of Army Requirements for your proposal. Please review the checklist carefully to ensure that your proposal meets the Army SBIR requirements. You must also meet the general DoD requirements specified in the solicitation. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your proposal not being evaluated or considered for award. Do not include this checklist with your proposal.
____ 1. The proposal addresses a Phase I effort (up to $70,000 with up to a six-month duration) AND (if applicable) an optional effort (up to $50,000 for an up to four-month period to provide interim Phase II funding).
____ 2. The proposal is limited to only ONE Army Solicitation topic.
____ 3. The technical content of the proposal, including the Option, includes the items identified in Section 3.5 of the Solicitation.
____ 4. The proposal, including the Phase I Option (if applicable), is 20 pages or less in length (excluding the Cost Proposal and Company Commercialization Report). Pages in excess of the 20-page limitation will not be considered in the evaluation of the proposal (including attachments, appendices, or references, but excluding the Cost Proposal and Company Commercialization Report).
____ 5. The Cost Proposal has been completed and submitted for both the Phase I and Phase I Option (if applicable) and the costs are shown separately. The Army prefers that small businesses complete the Cost Proposal form on the DoD Submission site, versus submitting within the body of the uploaded proposal. The total cost should match the amount on the cover pages.
____ 6. Requirement for Army Accounting for Contract Services, otherwise known as CMRA reporting is included in the Cost Proposal.
____ 7. If applicable, the Bio Hazard Material level has been identified in the technical proposal.
____ 8. If applicable, plan for research involving animal or human subjects, or requiring access to government resources of any kind.
____ 9. The Phase I Proposal describes the "vision" or "end-state" of the research and the most likely strategy or path for transition of the SBIR project from research to an operational capability that satisfies one or more Army operational or technical requirements in a new or existing system, larger research program, or as a stand-alone product or service.
____ 10. If applicable, Foreign Nationals are identified in the proposal. An employee must have an H-1B Visa to work on a DoD contract.
Army SBIR 082 Topic Index
A08-015 Sensor Validation for Turboshaft Engine Torque Sensors
A08-016 High Performance Computing for Rotorcraft Structural Dynamics
A08-017 Advanced Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis
A08-018 Light Weight Collective Pitch Control Systems for Swashplateless Rotors
A08-019 Sensor Guided Flight for Unmanned Air Vehicles
A08-020 Innovative Pitch Link Actuators for Individual Blade Control (IBC)
A08-021 Innovative Systems for Reduction of Rotorcraft Hub Drag
A08-022 Practical Composite Rotor Blade and Wing Structural Design Tool for Aeromechanical
Assessments in Conceptual Design
A08-023 Reinforced High Temperature Titanium Metal Matrix Composite Systems For Impeller
Applications In Advanced Army Turboshaft Engines
A08-024 Lightweight Metallics for Cargo Helicopter Main Rotor Shaft Applications
A08-025 On-Line Oil Condition and Metal Wear Analysis Sensor
A08-026 Advanced Manufacturing Methods for Composite Gearbox Housings for Rotorcraft Applications
A08-027 Effects of High Temperature on Solid Propellants: Insights Into Their Effects on Slow and Fast
Cookoff Responses Toward Insensitive Munitions
A08-028 Complementary Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE)/Testing (NDT) Techniques for Stockpile
Reliability Programs (SRP) of U.S. Army Tactical Missile Systems
A08-029 Thermal Management in a Composite Skin Missile Airframe
A08-030 Improved environmental protection for Zinc Sulfide
A08-031 Advanced Adaptive Maneuvering Air Vehicle
A08-032 Advanced Scramjet Engine/Vehicle Design
A08-033 Transpiration Cooling Computational Fluid Dynamics Submodel
A08-034 Low Power Electronics and Energy Harvesting for Anti-tamper Applications
A08-035 High Aspect Ratio EMI Grid Application Technique
A08-036 Novel Energetic Polymers
A08-037 Low Cost Production of Domes Using Freeze Casting or Similar Technology
A08-038 Vision Based Adjunct Navigation Technologies
A08-039 Prognostics for the Full, Net-Centric, Plug and Fight Integration of Army Air and Missile Defense
Systems (AMD)
A08-040 Accurate and Reliable Rocket Thruster Technology
A08-041 Improved Field of Regard for Strap Down Semi Active Laser Seekers
A08-042 Novel Structural Reactive Materials
A08-043 High Voltage, High Current, Solid State Switches
A08-044 Innovative Tantalum Machining for Weapon Applications
A08-045 Reusable and Adaptable Cognitive Decision Aids Components For Remote Weapon Stations
A08-046 Novel Efficient and Compact Diode-pumped Rod Gain Modules for Ultra Short Pulsed (USP)
Lasers
A08-047 Edge-pumped Composites for Ultra-Short Pulse (USP) Lasers
A08-048 Biologically Inspired Processor
A08-049 Structurally Integrated Position and Orientation Sensor and Seeker Technologies
A08-050 Novel Titanium Alloys for Improved Workability and Formability
A08-051 High Resolution Multispectral X-ray Imaging
A08-052 Development of Nanothermite-Based Microthrusters
A08-053 Thermal Sensing and Responsive Materials for Environmental Monitoring
A08-054 Spectrally and Spatially Foveated Multi/Hyperspectral Camera
A08-055 Compact Unit for Eye-safe Standoff Explosive Detection
A08-056 Bio-Inspired Battlefield Environmental Situation Awareness
A08-057 Urban Illumination for Soldier Simulations and Close-Combat Target Acquisition
A08-058 Situation Awareness Assessment Tools for Network Enabled Command and Control Field
Evaluations
A08-059 A psychologically inspired object recognition system
A08-060 Hearing Protection Evaluation System
A08-061 Eyesafe laser diode arrays for resonant pumping of Er-doped gain media optimized for
cryogenically cooled operation
A08-062 Fully Flexible Information Electronics with a Flexible Display
A08-063 Bi-functional anode and High Temperature Electrolyte Membrane for Reforming Methanol Fuel
Cell (RMFC).
A08-064 Utilizing Computational Imaging for Laser Intensity Reduction at CCD Focal Planes
A08-065 Desulfurization of JP-8 Fuel by Adsorption of Oxidized Organic Sulfur Compounds
A08-066 Development of a Device
Capable of Rapid isolation of DNA Capture Elements for
Biotechnology Applications
A08-067 Metamaterial Antennas for Army Platforms
A08-068 Cold Spray Nanostructured Powders
A08-069 Scalable & Adaptive Munitions Technologies
A08-070 Full Field, Out-of-Plane Digital Image Correlation (DIC) from Ultra-High Speed Digital Cameras
A08-071 Self-decontaminating materials using organocatalysts
A08-072 A 250-W Solid Acid Electrolyte Fuel Cell Generator
A08-073 Hydroxyl Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
A08-074 Development of a Fieldable Brain Trauma Analyzer System
A08-075 Terahertz Intracavity Spectrometer
A08-076 Nano-composite Semiconductor Lasers
A08-077 Large Area, High Power Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes
A08-078 Detection and Location of Home Made Electro-Optical Booby Traps
A08-079 Precision Extraction and Characterization of Lines of Communication from Moving Target
Indicator (MTI) Data
A08-080 Radio Frequency Over Fiber in Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Platforms
A08-081 Persistent Multi-Intelligence Perimeter Sensing
A08-082 Event and Temporal Reasoning Ontology
A08-083 Advanced Modular/Reconfigurable Cooling Techniques for Signals Intelligence/Electronic
Warfare (SIGINT/EW) Systems
A08-084 High Isolation Transmit/Receive Antennas for Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) and
Communications Applications
A08-085 Recognition of Non-Native Speakers
A08-086 Common Aperture Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR)
(CAGE)
A08-087 Dismounted Combat Identification
A08-088 Command and Control Translation System in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework
A08-089 Quality of Service Traffic Manager
A08-090 High Performance Electrochemical Capacitor Using Nanomaterials for Electrodes.
A08-091 Superior High Energy Density and High Rate Rechargeable Lithium ion Battery for Army
applications
A08-092 Automated Planning Software For A Dynamic Heterogeneous Collection Of Manned And
Unmanned Entities
A08-093 Counterinsurgency Campaign Design Tool Based on Logical Lines of Operation and
Wiki-Inspired Knowledge Capture
A08-094 Dynamic Data Model Implementation for Context Sensitive User Interface and Embedded
Semantic
A08-095 Wireless Intra-Soldier Data Reception and Transmission
A08-096 Precision Gyroscopes for Gyro-Compassing in Man-Portable Target Locator Systems
A08-097 Standoff Detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Explosively Formed Penetrators
(EFPs), or Landmines
A08-098 Stabilized Laser Beam Pointing
A08-099 Optimal Detection of Buried Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) in Clutter
A08-100 Visible to Shortwave Infrared Solid State Silicon-Germanium Imaging Camera Development
A08-101 Advanced System Tunability for Infrared (IR) Imagers Using Enhanced User-Controlled
Parameters
A08-102 Cathodoluminescence Defect Characterization for Medium Wavelength Infrared (MWIR) and
Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe
A08-103 Passivation Innovations for Large Format Reduced Pixel pitch strained layer superlattice Focal
Plane Array Imagers Operating in the Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) Band
A08-104 Armor Embedded Metamaterial Antenna
A08-105 Multicast Admission Control for Multi-Domain Secure Ad Hoc Networks
A08-106 Advanced Cooling for Satellite Communications On-the-Move Antennas
A08-107 Secure IPv6 Multicasting
A08-108 Software Defined Radio Tool Suite
A08-109 Enhanced Magnetic Communications
A08-110 Gallium Nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Power Amplifier
A08-111 All Digital Transmitter Digital to Analog Converter and High Bandwidth Signal Combiner
A08-112 Conformal Omni-Directional Antenna Design for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
A08-113 Acoustic Detection and Verification of Intrusions against Military Facilities
A08-114 Large Area Spatial Urban-Noise Characterization for Anomaly Detection
A08-115 Fast-Scan, High-Performance, Portable Imaging Spectrometer for Chemical-Biological Sensing
A08-116 Integrated Power-Microclimate Cooling System for the Soldier
A08-117 Imaging Device for the Assessment of Airways in Combat Casualties with Inhalation Injury due to
Burns, Smoke, or Toxic Gases
A08-118 Malaria Diagnostic Methods to Replace Microscopy in Clinical Trials
A08-119 Non-invasive near-infrared devices for monitoring hemodynamics, tissue viability, and perfusion
for combat casualty care
A08-120 An Integrated Physical Therapy/ Rehabilitation Robotic System for Military Healthcare
Enhancement
A08-121 Unmanned Ground & Air System for CBRNE Contaminated Personnel Recovery
A08-122 Multiplexed Assay for the Detection of Wound-related Pathogens
A08-123 Prodrugs
A08-124 Highly Agile Command Deployable Vehicle Arresting System
A08-125 Advance Antenna and Processing Solutions for Multi-Functional Target Detection System
A08-126 Improved mini Ku band antenna for TCDL
A08-127 Emergency Anti-torque System for Rotary Wing Aircraft (Manned and Unmanned)
A08-128 JP-8 Fuel Effects on High Pressure Common Rail Pumps
A08-129 Encrypt/Decrypt Mobile Devices with Biometric Signature
A08-130 Dexterous Manipulation for Non-Line-of-Sight Articulated Manipulators
A08-131 Tools, Techniques and Materials for Lightweight Tracks
A08-132 Variable Optical Transmission Lens for Integrated Eyewear Protection
A08-133 Dynamic Terrain System Process Development
A08-134 Game Interface for the OneSAF Computer Generated Forces Simulation
A08-135 Development of a small LADAR sensor for a Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV)
A08-136 Video Compression Techniques for Tactical Wireless Networks
A08-137 High Energy Laser Component Technology for Eye-Safer Fiber Lasers
A08-138 Advanced Ferroelectric Materials for Explosive Pulsed Power for Missiles and Munitions
A08-139 Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) pumps for Reduced Eye Hazard Wavelength
High Energy Fiber Lasers
A08-140 Lightweight Electro-Optical/Infrared Payload
A08-141 Lightweight High Altitude/On-Orbit Reprogrammable Two-Way Communications Payload
A08-142 Automated Generation of Underground Structures
A08-143 Modeling Of The Impact Response Of Multifunctional Composite Armor
A08-144 Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) for Ground Vehicles
A08-145 Semi-Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Control
A08-146 Rapid Field Test Method(s) to Measure Additives in Military Fuel
A08-147 Automated Algorithm Generator for Ground Vehicle Diagnostics/Prognostics
A08-148 Distributed Services Framework for Mobile Ad-hoc Networks
A08-149 Sensors for Vehicle Health Monitoring
A08-150 Smart Sensor Network for Platform Structural Health Monitoring
A08-151 Realistic High Fidelity Dynamic Terrain Representation
A08-152 Vehicle Dynamics and Motion Drive for Realtime Simulators
A08-153 Improved Thermal Management Systems using Advanced Materials and Fluids
A08-154 High Temperature Capacitors for Hybrid Electric Vehicles
A08-155 Safe, Low-Cost Cylindrical and Prismatic Nickel-Zinc Batteries for Hybrid Vehicles
A08-156 Exportable Vehicle Power Using Cognitive Power Management
A08-157 Real-time In-line Water Quality Monitoring
A08-158 Measuring Fuel Quantity in Bulk Containers
A08-159 Advanced Additives to Improve Fire Resistant Fuels (FRF)
A08-160 Intelligent Multi-modal Ground Robotic Mobility
A08-161 Tactical Vehicle Underbody Blast Energy Absorber Kit
Army SBIR 082 Topic Descriptions
A08-015 TITLE: Sensor Validation for Turboshaft Engine Torque Sensors
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this SBIR is to design and develop an accurate, cost effective method for on-board sensor validation in Army rotorcraft turboshaft engines. An inaccurate sensor can lead the engine controller to believe components are not working properly. This then leads to the false removal of components and a large percentage of engine down-time which could have been avoided.
Therefore, there is a need for a system that can: 1) validate whether or not the sensor is functioning accurately and
2) if the sensor is in fact generating readings outside accurate tolerance limits, the system should be able to generate a synthetic signal from the remaining sensor data and provide this to the engine controller. This capability would allow for the maintainers to recognize if the sensor is at fault, not the actual component. In addition, this capability will allow for the crew to understand the current state of health of their rotorcraft, regardless of a degraded sensor reading. It is intended that this technology have significant positive implications on sensor reliability, redundancy and accuracy.
DESCRIPTION: This effort will develop improved methodologies and algorithms for the synthesis of engine signals that will replace inaccurate sensor measurements. As a validation method, torque sensors will be used to address inaccurate measurements and the use of remaining signals to provide a synthesized signal. Compensation for factors that lead to error or scatter in the measurement of engine torque shall be considered. Implementation issues such as data capture, processing, and data availability for the pilot shall be addressed. Additional weight and pilot responsibility should be minimized.
PHASE I: Phase I of this effort will develop and validate the proposed technology. A feasibility demonstration of the system should be conducted on a laboratory scale and should validate the concept’s achievement of topic objectives. The proposed system should confirm the method in which torque sensors are noted to be producing inaccurate engine torque readings, and then synthesis a signal to the engine controller in its place.
PHASE II: Phase II involves further design and development of the proposed sensor validation method. The coordination with an engine manufacturer to fully portray the operating characteristics is preferred. The design during the Phase II effort should be implemented using a relevant hardware platform and display the ability to send synthetic signals to the engine controller in order to compensate for inaccurate engine torque measurements. These capabilities should be validated using additional bench or rig tests. In this Phase, a fully functioning prototype shall be tested to assess the accuracy and repeatability of the method.
PHASE III: The application of a sensor validation system will have relevance in all commercial and military rotorcraft. Once this technology is successfully demonstrated, it would be suitable for installation into the CH-47/T55, ARH/HTS900-2, UH-60/T700 and AH-64/T700. This Phase should show integration into an appropriate platform’s engine control unit. This effort must follow the latest revision of software specification DO-178.
REFERENCES:
1. Model-Based Decision Support Tools For T700 Engine Health Monitoring, Peter Frith and George Karvounis, Defence Science and Technology Organization International Conference on Health and Usage Monitoring, February 2001.
2. Aviation Diagnostic and Engine Prognostic Technologies (ADEPT) for the Chinook’s T55 Engine, Andrew Stramiello, Richard Ling, Gregory Kacprzynski and Michael Roemer, 58th Meeting of the Society for Machinery Prevention Technology, April 2003.
3. A Model-Based Approach To Engine Health Monitoring Of Military Helicopters, Peter C. W. Frith, George Karvounis, and Samuel H. Carte, Third Australian Pacific Vertiflite Conference on Helicopter Technology, AHS, July 2000, Canberra, Australia.
KEYWORDS: Sensor validation, turboshaft engine, synthetic signal, inaccurate sensors.
A08-016 TITLE: High Performance Computing for Rotorcraft Structural Dynamics
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Ground/Sea Vehicles
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: Develop methodology and software to adapt scalable, parallel processing methods for high performance computing of rotorcraft structural dynamics problems and demonstrate the achievable benefits via application to a rotorcraft comprehensive analysis code.
DESCRIPTION: Rotorcraft computational predictive capabilities are critical for all phases of rotorcraft research, development, and engineering. Accurate and computationally efficient research and design tools are essential for the development of future rotorcraft having mission performance, life cycle costs, and reliability needed to meet tomorrow’s challenging requirements. Over the past few years, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes have been linked to computational structural dynamics (CSD) capabilities of rotorcraft comprehensive codes using CFD/CSD coupling techniques (Ref. 1) to provide fundamental new capabilities that will change the way the technical community - and most importantly, the rotorcraft industry – conducts the rotorcraft design process. Current DoD programs are aggressively pursuing further developments in this arena, e.g., the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Office is sponsoring an HPC Institute for Advanced Rotorcraft Modeling and Simulation (HI-ARMS) with emphasis on advanced CFD development. The key to accurate and practical CFD applications is the use parallel processing on a massive scale to distribute the computations between hundreds and eventually thousands of CPU processors. The effectiveness of this approach depends on scalability, that is, can computation time for large problems be substantially reduced by increasing the number of processors without degrading the run time benefit due to the data communication overhead between processors. Since CFD computations are generally scalable, parallel processing offers considerable promise for improving rotorcraft CFD throughput. Although the CFD analysis comprises most of the rotorcraft computational requirement, structural dynamics analysis of a complex rotorcraft may not be insignificant for large models and may conceivably constitute a bottleneck in computational performance for future rotorcraft applications. To date, structural dynamics computations for rotorcraft applications have not been shown to be as amenable to HPC parallel processing methods as CFD computations (Refs. 2-4).
Rotorcraft structures are typically modeled with multi-body finite element methods for rotor blades and fuselage structures. For typical anisotropic composite rotor blades, current analysis methods divide the 3-D structural problem into a nonlinear 1-D beam problem and a linear 2-D cross section problem to greatly reduce the computational burden compared to full 3-D approach. Fuselage models are based on either simple beam element stick models or reduced order models obtained from elaborate finite element models based on NASTRAN or similar codes. The purpose of this topic is to explore possible approaches for applying scalable, parallel processing HPC methods to the rotorcraft structural dynamics (CSD) problems. This is to include the development of algorithms and computer software architecture to enable accurate, efficient, computations to be performed for full CFD/CSD coupled rotorcraft applications. If possible, it is desired that these methods should be adaptable to existing rotorcraft comprehensive analysis codes, e.g., Ref 5. Such methods should be sufficiently flexible to address different types of rotorcraft structural components such as rotor blades, auxiliary lifting surfaces, and fuselages, and rotor hubs, and drive train components as well. It is also desired that the methods to be developed for this topic be applicable and efficient for such 1-D nonlinear beam finite elements.
PHASE I: Identify candidate approaches to apply scalable, parallel processing HPC methods to rotorcraft structural dynamics analysis. Develop the relevant theoretical basis. Identify and estimate the expected computational performance benefits. Define and develop candidate computer software architectures including an assessment of the feasibility of integrating such approaches into typical existing rotorcraft comprehensive analyses. Perform pilot studies to demonstrate applicability and benefits of proposed approaches.
PHASE II: Provide top-level software design approach for scalable parallel processing approach developed in Phase I. Based on the top-level system design, complete the detailed design for the software of the coupled CFD/CSD system. Following the detailed design, implement the associated software modules. Integrate the software modules in the comprehensive analysis. Test the integrated software and generate representative results for comparison with baseline comprehensive analysis. Generate timing results to measure improved runtime efficiency and throughput for representative problems of relevant size and complexity. Prepare appropriate test reports and software documentation for the developed code. Prepare user and application documentation.
PHASE III: The advanced comprehensive analysis software system will be used by DoD R&D organizations such as U.S. Army RDEC and equivalent Navy organizations for application to ongoing research investigations and engineering analysis support of fielded rotorcraft. The integrated software will be provided to rotorcraft industry for application to the rotorcraft design process. Here, advanced design methodology will be equally applicable to military and civilian vehicles, increasing design cycle effectiveness and ultimately reducing development and operating costs and improving vehicle mission effectiveness. Particularly relevant for future rotorcraft design applications will be unique requirements of DoD joint heavy lift rotorcraft where multi-disciplinary effects of aeroelastics, flight controls, and engine drive train dynamics on aerodynamic performance and structural design loads in all flight regimes will be particularly critical owing to the amplified aeroelastic interactions associated with very large flexible vehicles.
REFERENCES:
1. Mahendra J. Bhagwat , Robert A. Ormiston, Hossein A. Saberi, and Hong Xin, “Application of CFD/CSD Coupling for Analysis of Rotorcraft Airloads and Blade Loads in Maneuvering Flight,” Presented at the American Helicopter Society 63rd Annual Forum, Virginia Beach, VA, May 1-3, 2007.
2. Giuseppe Quaranta, Pierangelo Masarati, and Paolo Mantegazza, “Multibody Analysis of Controlled Aeroelastic Systems on Parallel Computers,” Multibody System Dynamics 8: 71–102, 2002.
3. Coulon, D.; Gerardin, M.; Farhat, C., “Adaptation of a Finite Element Solver for the Analysis of Flexible Mechanisms to Parallel Processing Systems,” Second International Conference on Computational Structures Technology, Athens, Greece, 30 Aug – 1 Sept. 1994.
4. Farhat, C, Pierson, K. and Lesoinne, M., "The Second Generation FETI Methods and Their Application to the Parallel Solution of Large-Scale Linear and Geometrically Non-linear Structural Analysis Problems," Computer Methods and Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 184, (2-4), April 2000, pp.333-374.
5. Saberi, H, Khoslahjeh, M, Ormiston, R. A., and Rutkowski, M. J., ‘Overview of RCAS and Application to Advanced Rotorcraft Problems,’American Helicopter Society 4th Decennial Specialists‚ Conference on Aeromechanics, San Francisco, CA, January 2004.
KEYWORDS: CFD, computational structural dynamics, scalable parallel processing, rotorcraft aeromechanics, comprehensive analysis, joint heavy lift.
A08-017 TITLE: Advanced Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: Develop advanced technology modeling and simulation software components to significantly improve accuracy, efficiency, functionality, and ease of use of multi-disciplinary rotorcraft comprehensive analysis. Integrate the software into an existing rotorcraft comprehensive code to enable researchers and industry designers to develop future Army rotorcraft with substantially improved mission effectiveness at lower cost and reduced development risk.
DESCRIPTION: Rotorcraft computational modeling and simulation capabilities are critical for all phases of rotorcraft research, development, and engineering. Fast, accurate, easy-to-use computational tools for research and design are the foundation for developing future rotorcraft having mission performance, life cycle cost, and reliability needed to meet tomorrow’s requirements.
Over the past 10 years, a new generation of multidisciplinary, comprehensive rotorcraft analysis codes has begun to change the way the technical community – and most importantly, the rotorcraft industry, conducts the rotorcraft design process. The most prominent is RCAS, the Army-developed Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis System (Ref. 1) a modular, multi-disciplinary code based on rigorous physics-based modeling that replaced earlier empirical, inaccurate, and inefficient codes. RCAS is now used in virtually all areas of the rotorcraft technical community.
In recent years, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes have been linked to the computational structural dynamics (CSD) capabilities of rotorcraft comprehensive codes, e.g., Ref. 2, to provide major new capabilities. Current DoD programs are aggressively pursuing further development of rotorcraft CFD/CSD technology. It is increasingly important that new comprehensive analysis software technology be developed to leverage advances in CFD/CSD and to significantly improve stand-alone applications as well. For many years to come, the stand-alone comprehensive code will continue to fulfill a critical role in the industry design process. Therefore, the present SBIR topic is focused on developing new comprehensive analysis technology and the topic is not aimed at rotorcraft CFD or CFD/CSD coupling methods.
Advanced computer software technology and new rotorcraft research offer opportunities to significantly improve rotorcraft comprehensive codes. The key problem is that today’s comprehensive analyses are not sufficiently accurate, robust, or computationally efficient to meet today’s critical modeling and simulation needs. They do not have sufficient functionality or the ability to interface automated tools in the industrial design environment. The topic is aimed at solving these problems by developing new technology for rotorcraft software that may be integrated into an existing comprehensive analysis, e.g., Ref 1. The topic is not intended to develop a new comprehensive analysis system.
New software technology is needed specifically for: 1) tools to rapidly input physical property data, perform error checking of input data, and automatically interpolate airfoil and structural property tables; 2) software to automate development of arbitrarily complex structures and aerodynamics models and graphically display the physical and topological models; 3) graphical animation of outputs such as structural deformation response, rotor wake vortices, and eigenvectors and mode shapes; 4) specialized models of complex rotorcraft components, e.g., transmissions, drive train components, swashplates, and easy-to-use “super-elements;” 5) aerodynamic and dynamic models for on-blade and active controls of arbitrary geometry; 6) improved methods for airloads, induced velocity, and interference aerodynamics; and 7) fast, robust trim methods and case management tools.
The intended product is software code providing capabilities in the areas described above that surpasses the current state-of-the-art in accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The intended software product will be reliable, trustworthy, fully tested and fully integrated into an existing rotorcraft comprehensive analysis system and will be fully documented.
PHASE I: Provide new technology software that will address the objectives of the topic. Provide the top-level preliminary design of the proposed software including the interfaces for integration into the candidate rotorcraft comprehensive analysis, e.g., Ref 1. Develop the mathematical basis and algorithms needed to address the problems defined in the topic. Outline the technology approaches and tools for the software modules to be implemented in Phase II. In key areas, design and implement prototype software modules, including integration in the candidate comprehensive analysis to demonstrate viability and benefits relative to existing technology.
PHASE II: Based on the top-level system design and prototypes demonstrations in Phase I, complete the detailed design for the full software system including detailed integration plans for the candidate target comprehensive analysis system. Following the detailed design, complete all math basis and algorithm development, and implement all software modules. Integrate the software modules in the candidate comprehensive analysis. Test the integrated software and generate representative results. Generate timing results to measure improved runtime efficiency and throughput where applicable. For software components having increased functionality and accuracy, demonstrate the new capabilities and compare predictions with existing codes and experimental data to quantify improvements. Prepare test reports, software documentation, user manuals and example application descriptions.
PHASE III: The advanced comprehensive analysis software system will be transitioned to and used by DoD R&D organizations such as U.S. Army AMRDEC and equivalent Navy organizations for ongoing research investigations and engineering analysis support of fielded rotorcraft. The integrated software will be transitioned to the rotorcraft industry for application to the rotorcraft design process to increase design cycle effectiveness and ultimately reduce development and operating costs and improve vehicle mission effectiveness. Advanced design methodology will be equally applicable to both military and civilian vehicles. Particularly relevant for DoD rotorcraft will be the new joint heavy lift rotorcraft where capabilities developed in this topic will be essential in dealing with multi-disciplinary effects of aeroelastics, flight controls, and engine drive train dynamics on such rotorcraft - owing to the anticipated magnitude of the aeroelastic interactions associated with very large flexible vehicles.
REFERENCES:
1. Saberi, H, Khoslahjeh, M, Ormiston, R. A., and Rutkowski, M. J., ‘Overview of RCAS and Application to Advanced Rotorcraft Problems,’American Helicopter Society 4th Decennial Specialists‚ Conference on Aeromechanics, San Francisco, CA, January 2004.
2. Potsdam, M., Yeo, H. and Johnson, W., ‘Rotor Airloads Predictions Using Loose Aerodynamic/Structural Coupling’, American Helicopter Society 60th Annual Forum, Baltimore MD, June 2004.
KEYWORDS: Comprehensive analysis, rotorcraft, modeling and simulation, aeromechanics, software, design methodology.
A08-018 TITLE: Light Weight Collective Pitch Control Systems for Swashplateless Rotors
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: Innovative collective pitch control systems are needed for use with future swashplateless helicopter rotors. The control system will include the actuators and mechanisms, and will be small, light weight, simple, reliable, maintainable, and robust.
DESCRIPTION: Swashplateless rotors are being developed for three reasons: 1) for reduced weight, 2) for reduced maintenance, and 3) in support of active rotors, which enable the elimination of the swashplate, for reduced hub vibration, rotor power, and rotor noise. A swashplateless rotor uses on-blade controls, such as trailing-edge flaps, for primary flight control. For optimum performance at off-design conditions, the pitch angle of the blade root must be adjusted in flight. Consequently, a light weight collective pitch control system is needed. Innovative design concepts are needed.
Although a blade root pitch control system can be envisioned to include higher harmonics, such added bandwidth and control authority is not allowed during Phase I of this topic. Instead, the Phase I work must focus on collective control, for minimum weight. Furthermore, this approach will allow a direct comparison with conventional rotor controls.
Control systems are sought which are small, light weight, simple, reliable, maintainable, and robust, as expanded here. The small size is desired mainly for low aerodynamic drag, but also for reduced ballistic vulnerability and radar cross-section. The light weight will reduce the weight of swashplateless rotors. The use of a simple design will reduce manufacturing costs and failure mechanisms. The incorporation of a reliable design will reduce the maintenance required by conventional swashplates, which use the hydraulic system. A maintainable design will keep operation and support costs low. Finally, a robust design will satisfy the harsh military specifications, including the operating environment and ballistic damage.
A wide range of design concepts – actuators and mechanisms – are solicited. If hydraulic systems are proposed, concepts should be included for reduced maintenance and vulnerability. Concepts which are amenable to non-collective motion – including blade tracking, cyclic pitch, higher harmonics, and individual blade control – are conditionally permitted: 1) at least 80% of the technical proposal must pertain to collective control, and 2) the Phase I work must be completely focused on collective control.
Two broad approaches are allowed: 1) accommodate an existing shaft, mast, hub/rotor design, or 2) include a new hub/rotor design. The proposal should clearly communicate which configurations will be considered, to include the shaft, mast, and hub/rotor design. For proposals to modify the hub/rotor design, the benefits of this approach should be described. The phrase “hub/rotor”, herein, describes the design features of the hub and/or rotor that are used to define the interface and to provide the desired kinematics and/or flexibility, to accommodate flap, lag, and pitch motions, and lag damping. It is conceivable that some designs would affect the rotor hub design, possibly including some aspect of the blade design.
The needed collective pitch travel, speed, and duty cycle are dependent upon the particular hub/rotor configuration under consideration.
PHASE I: Perform a feasibility study. Clarify and expand the design requirements. Develop conceptual designs. Develop at least one preliminary design. Detail the key functions of the preliminary design(s). Provide a physical description of the preliminary design(s), including size, weight, range of travel, and strength.
PHASE II: Perform a major research and development effort, culminating in a well defined, deliverable prototype. Continue the development of the design(s), and continue to refine and expand the design requirements. Evaluate the significance of military specifications, including the operating environment and ballistic damage. Consider additional conceptual designs, if needed. If appropriate, estimate the design ramifications of non-collective control. Fabricate prototype hardware for collective control. Perform bench tests to verify design function and strength. Perform simplified, but representative, component life tests.
PHASE III: Develop final system requirements and a detailed design, based on lessons learned in Phase II, specific to a particular aircraft. Build pre-production hardware. Perform extensive strength and system life testing. If this project is successful, the resulting collective pitch control system would be useful for the design of a variety of future military and civilian rotorcraft. Improved rotorcraft performance reduces operating costs and increases mission effectiveness.
REFERENCES:
1. Sonneborn, W., 2003, “Vision 2025 for Rotorcraft,” Paper No. AIAA-2003-2852, AIAA/ICAS International Air and Space Symposium and Exposition, Dayton, Ohio, July.
2. Aiken, E.W., Ormiston, R.A., and Young, L.A., 2000, “Future Directions in Rotorcraft Technology at Ames Research Center,” Proceedings of the 56th Annual Forum of the American Helicopter Society, Virginia Beach, Virginia, May.
3. Giansante, N., 1995, “Advanced Rotor Actuation Methods (ARAM),” Final Report, USAATCOM TR 95-D-10, June.
4. Straub, F.K., and Charles, B.D., 1990, “Preliminary Assessment of Advanced Rotor/Control System Concepts (ARCS)”, USAAVSCOM TR 90-D03, August.
5. Guinn, K.F., 1982, “Advanced Rotor Actuation Concepts,” Final Report, USAAVRADCOM-TR-82-D-21, December.
KEYWORDS: Helicopter, rotorcraft, swashplate, swashplateless, rotor, collective, pitch, control, blade, root, indexing, performance, reliability, safety, fail-safe.
A08-019 TITLE: Sensor Guided Flight for Unmanned Air Vehicles
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop software that guides platform flight to deliver robust, reliable sensor performance from UAVs.
DESCRIPTION: Sensor guided flight is an essential capability for utilizing UAVs more effectively in reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) missions. Sensor guided flight is envisioned as the ability for a UAV’s sensing system, primarily imaging system, to automatically request platform position and attitude that maximizes its performance. It is the ability to monitor viewing conditions for a given RSTA task, assess whether the sensor system parameters and platform position and attitude are the most optimum for those viewing conditions, and if not, compute and recommend preferred parameters and platform state for best quality imagery for those viewing conditions.
This effort will develop the software and architecture that can deliver robust, reliable RSTA from UAVs. The technical approach should include but is not limited to considerations of sensor system settings such as pan/tilt/zoom as well as camera type, and preferred platform position and orientation. Considerations of external environmental conditions such as visibility, sunlight angles, precipitation, terrain type, shadows, and such are not required, but would be a plus. It may be assumed that a flight mission begins with a known type of object or threat being targeted over a given terrain type.
It is intended for now to focus the effort to gimbal-mounted EO/IR sensor systems on fixed wing aircraft. For the initial effort, especially during Phase I of this topic, offerors may use any set of representative data for gimbal azimuth and elevation limits as well as aircraft attitude constraints. Constant velocity flight may be assumed with altitude variations allowed within a restricted range. For effort that progresses into Phase II and possibly beyond, quantitative data representative of platforms of interest to the Army such as the Shadow or planned Warrior unmanned air vehicle will be provided, if needed.
At a minimum the system needs to: develop a set of sensor system configuration parameters that can be adjusted automatically during flight; develop simple techniques to initialize sensor system parameters to an optimum default configuration based on immediate mission and recommend preferred, safe, altitude, azimuth and elevation angles for best imagery to the operator; develop a method to automatically monitor platform state and check if landing gear, skids, wings, antennas or any such ownship viewing obstacles as well as known terrain occlusions and elevation variations during flight interfere with the line of sight (LOS) to ground; and in response automatically alter sensor system configuration parameters to regain LOS or alert operator and recommend preferred platform orientation to regain LOS. The system also needs to be able to adapt to time of day and light conditions with at a minimum a change between EO and IR camera types for best imagery. The ability to adapt to known, externally provided data on visibility (rain, cloud cover, etc), terrain type (color, texture, foliage, desert), and features (roads, buildings, hills) or a subset of these would be viewed as advantageous. It is expected that the system will be able to transition from operator-managed flight planning to fully autonomous flight seamlessly.
PHASE I: Identify feasible system architecture design and key software elements that can be used/developed and integrated. Conduct proof of concept assessment of critical elements with representative data. Develop and describe initial prototype for integration and test.
PHASE II: Establish preliminary performance estimates and identify key technical issues using simulation testing. Identify changes and refinements needed based on test results. Design and develop a complete system and install it on a small UAV or surrogate and conduct testing to characterize system performance. Define requirements and goals for follow-on system development efforts based on the results of this research.
PHASE III: This technology addresses an essential capability in autonomous UAVs for the Army’s FCS goals and similar related DoD systems. Utilization of UAVs for reconnaissance and surveillance missions is still a highly labor intensive operation within the military with today’s state-of-art. The number of UAVs that will be operated by the US Army, other DOD agencies as well as other Federal and State agencies for such mission is on an exponential growth path. The technology that will be developed by this topic will reduce the difficulties, shortcomings and labor burden involved in such operations. It will allow for much more effective and easier use of UAVs for monitoring ground activity whether in a military context or in relatively benign stateside border security, disaster response, traffic monitoring, geological mapping and commercial survey and monitoring applications. The transition to these applications will be paced by the extent to which the technology establishes reliability and conforms to interoperability standards and airspace management needs consistent with the wider aviation community practices.
REFERENCES:
1. Strategies for Path-Planning for a UAV to track a ground vehicle, J. Lee, R. Huang, A. Vaughn, X. Xiao, J.K. Hedrick, M. Zennaro, R. SenGupta, Dept. of Mech Eng, U C Berkeley, AINS Conference, 2003.
2. Development and Test of Highly Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Johnson, E N; Proctor, A A; Ha, J; Tannenbaum, A R, Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication. Vol. 1, no. 12, pp. 486-501. 2004.
3. Intelligent Unmanned Air Vehicle Flight Systems, J. Miller, P. Minear, and A. Niessner, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA; A. DeLullo, B. Geiger, L. Long, and J. Horn, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA AIAA-2005-7081.
KEYWORDS: Autonomous, Navigation, UAV, Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking, Environment, Visibility, Sensor.
A08-020 TITLE: Innovative Pitch Link Actuators for Individual Blade Control (IBC)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the topic is to perform the required research and development work towards a flight worthy, sustainable, pitch link actuator for a helicopter rotor individual blade control (IBC) system.
DESCRIPTION: Individual blade control involves the replacement of pitch links with a device that serves as both a pitch link and a blade root actuator. As clearly shown by recent NASA/ Army wind tunnel testing on a UH-60, and by the German flight testing of a CH53G, individual blade control has the potential to increase performance, reduce vibration and acoustics, and allow in-flight, automatic tracking of rotor blades. Any new concepts for IBC actuator design/systems require simplicity and appreciation of operational safety and air worthiness constraints. The ultimate solution will be one that insures a minimum impact of the retrofit process and high reliability. Innovations are required to develop a concept of future IBC systems that can be scaled and retrofitted to a range of helicopters. Example targets include the CH-47, and UH-60, as well as smaller helicopters and UAVs.
PHASE I: Phase I of the project begins with a state-of-the-art assessment of the large volume of work to date on IBC actuators and systems. This assessment should include benchtop demonstrations of hardware for direct comparison of various approaches to IBC. Using the lesson learned from previous work and this initial assessment, Phase I concludes with the development of a new concept and validates the technical feasibility. Phase I should conclude with a prototype demonstration under simulated loading, and demonstrate the necessary expertise and research quality to insure a successful Phase II effort.
PHASE II: Using the results from Phase I, the Phase II effort should continue the development of the new IBC actuator concept. This new concept should aim to achieve performance improvements in terms of increased range as a first priority with vibration reduction as a second priority, and acoustics alleviation as the third priority. The system is required to demonstrate the capability of automated blade tracking. There is no interest in reducing blade vortex interaction noise in descending flight, and so the acoustics aspects of the IBC system should address high speed impulsive noise as the target. Prototype hardware should be able to demonstrate fail safe operation under simulated loads and exceed performance of state-of-the-art IBC actuators. Deliverables of Phase II include detailed fatigue life analysis and testing, airworthiness requirements validation, maintenance and reliability assessments, and harsh environmental testing according to military standards. Phase II should also demonstrate the scalability of the solution from a medium lift helicopter to a light weight helicopter in order to maximize the value to the US Army. Supporting analysis using suitable comprehensive aeromechanics codes is desired but should not prevent the effort from focusing on hardware development. The final concept should address all of the practical issues associated with an IBC system such as slip ring requirements, power requirements, electrical interference, hub modifications, open and closed loop control, and the feasibility of retrofitting existing Army helicopters. Phase II should conclude with all of the required detail to support the Air Worthiness Release (AWR) process of Phase III.
PHASE III: Phase III begins with the Air Worthiness Release process for flight testing of the final IBC system. This phase of the project includes flight testing on two different scales of helicopters from medium lift to light weight. The Phase III process should begin with a fieldable and maintainable concept, and the final question of the payoff of IBC in terms of performance, vibration, and acoustics should be quantified through flight testing. Demonstration of automated blade tracking and its operational impact on vibration should also be part of the Phase III flight test program.
REFERENCES:
1. Jacklin, Stephen A., Blaas, Achim, Teves, Dietrich, Kube, Roland, "Reduction of Helicopter BVI Noise, Vibration, and Power Consumption Through Individual Blade Control", AHS 51st Annual Forum and Technology Display; Fort Worth, TX, 9-11 May 1995.
2. "Open Loop Flight Test Results and Closed Loop Status of the IBC System on the CH-53G Helicopter", Christoph Kessler, Daniel Fuerst, Uwe T.P. Arnold, American Helicopter Society International 59thAnnual Forum, Phoenix, Arizona, May 6-8, 2003.
KEYWORDS: Individual blade control, IBC, active rotors, vibration reduction, rotor performance, lift-to-drag ratio, increased range.
A08-021 TITLE: Innovative Systems for Reduction of Rotorcraft Hub Drag
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: Develop technology to reduce aerodynamic drag due to helicopter rotor hub and blade shanks using active, passive or a combination of methodologies which can be applied to new or existing hub/blade designs.
DESCRIPTION: The aerodynamic drag of the hub and rotor blade shank is a substantial fraction of the total drag on a modern helicopter. Some current rotorcraft designs include traditional aerodynamic fairings on the hub and or fuselage to varying effect but many ignore this large drag source entirely because of its kinematics and dynamic complexity. In order to increase the speed, efficiency, and payload capacity of current and future rotorcraft designs to keep them relevant in future operational environments, the problem of hub drag will need to be addressed in innovative ways.
New technology concepts are sought to reduce drag produced by the helicopter rotor hub, shaft, control system and blade shanks. Concepts may include active or passive devices or involve a combination of methodologies. The goal of this work is to generate a wide range of concepts which may be implemented separately or in concert to address the problem. Both integrated technologies, which would require new hub design, and retrofittable technologies, which could be installed on currently fielded aircraft should be considered. Design goals should include small size, low weight, high reliability, ease of maintenance, and safe failure modes. Analysis of proposed designs should include static and dynamic loadings associated with rotorcraft hubs and blades and consider the operation of the systems in harsh environments and under all weather conditions.
PHASE I: Identify and define methodologies for hub drag reduction. Develop conceptual designs and analyze the feasibility of their implementation. Further develop feasible design(s) and model their effect on drag, as well as their physical attributes, power and control requirements and integration into the supporting systems.
PHASE II: Continue development and modeling of preliminary design(s). Build a proof of concept model of the system(s) and demonstrate their capability in a wind tunnel test or other appropriate laboratory experiment.
PHASE III: Develop complete implementations of the system or systems designed and tested in Phase I and II. The vision is a system or suite of systems which can be either retrofitted on currently fielded airframes or integrated into new or refreshed designs which will significantly reduce the drag associated with the rotor hub and blade shanks. The technology could be transferred through rotorcraft airframe producers, DoD Program Managers or through the small business as a retrofit service.
REFERENCES:
1. Keys, Charles., Wiesner, Robert. Guidelines for Reducing Helicopter Parasite Drag. Special Report to the 31st Annual National AHS Forum by the Ad Hoc Committee on Rotorcraft Drag, Washington, D.C., May 14-15, 1975.
2. Linville, James C. An Experimental Investigation of High-Speed Rotorcraft Drag. USAAMRDL Technical Report 71-46. 1972.
3. Sheehy, Thomas., Clark, David. A General Review of Helicopter Rotor Hub Drag Data. Special Report to the 31st Annual National AHS Forum by the Ad Hoc Committee on Rotorcraft Drag, Washington, D.C., May 14-15, 1975.
4. Williams, R. M., Montana, Peter. A Comprehensive Plan for Helicopter Drag Reduction. Special Report to the 31st Annual National AHS Forum by the Ad Hoc Committee on Rotorcraft Drag, Washington, D.C., May 14-15, 1975.
5. Young, Larry A., Graham, David R., Stroub, Robert H.."Experimental Investigation of Rotorcraft Hub and Shaft Fairing Drag Reduction." Journal of Aircraft, no. 24 (1987): 861-867.
KEYWORDS: Rotorcraft, helicopter, rotor, hub, pylon, parasite, drag.
A08-022 TITLE: Practical Composite Rotor Blade and Wing Structural Design Tool for Aeromechanical
Assessments in Conceptual Design
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: The objective is to develop a means to rapidly assess aeromechanics issues for rotorcraft configurations with realistic rotor and wing structural properties during the conceptual design stage. Specifically, a design tool is needed that can provide realistic engineering beam properties for blades and wings given basic aircraft geometries, applied load distribution and design constraints. The realistic properties should satisfy structural design requirements such as static and fatigue stress, ballistic tolerance and dynamic stability guidelines. Variables should include material properties and cross-section topology.
DESCRIPTION: Rotor blade design is a specialized skill that is labor and computationally intensive which requires an iterative process between rotor design and comprehensive analysis. This inhibits efficient design and associated analysis of rotors for future rotorcraft systems. Currently, aeromechanics assessments for loads, vibration and stability are left out of conceptual design due to the difficulty of generating meaningful input to rotorcraft comprehensive analysis. Assumptions or technology projections made during configuration design may be unachievable or inadequate to meet system needs. Additionally, difficult aeromechanical problems are not discovered until the design space is significantly narrowed. Development of a high-fidelity, yet efficient and easy-to-use, composite rotor blade and wing cross-section design tool is critical to improve future rotorcraft systems. Once the tool is developed, the intent is to evolve the tool to include automation and optimization.
Current rotor blade aeromechanical analysis tools have beam analysis models with a capability to handle isotropic and, though limited, composite materials. Rotor blades are designed for given blade structural loads at critical flight conditions while meeting design and operational constraints. For the known loading conditions and constraints, the designer selects materials and cross sectional layout to meet required stress or strain failure criteria. The resulting blade structural and inertial properties are used to calculate the loads and stability of a rotorcraft using comprehensive analyses such as RCAS and CAMRAD II. A similar approach is used for the structural design of wing sections.
The blade design tool should allow flexibility for users to define/add/modify design variables such as section geometry (airfoil coordinates relative reference chord line, twist angle of chord line, quarter chord offsets including sweep and cone/droop), material properties, skin and spar thickness, web location, composite ply orientation, etc. The user should also be able to easily modify engineering constraints such as elastic axis location and center of gravity location within a defined range. Desired outputs are section properties include: a) stiffness (bending, torsion, extension; isotropic or anisotropic), neutral axis offsets, shear center offsets, principal axes pitch angle, modulus weighted radius of gyration, extension-twist coupling and b) inertia (mass, 2 moments of inertia), center of gravity offsets, principal axes pitch angle.
The end product of this SBIR is a high-fidelity, yet efficient and easy-to-use design tool. The tool would be used for an enhanced configuration design effort and lead to better transition during detailed design. Intent is to expand a viable analysis capability to apply engineering constraints and material inputs, generalize the resultant tool for both wings and rotors and then apply optimization and automation.
PHASE I: Develop or expand an existing rotor blade / wing cross-sectional structural analysis / design tool that can handle various design parameters for with user selection of structural materials and engineering constraints to meet critical design loading. The proposer will specify allowable material selection criteria and design requirements (constraints). A clear step by step guide should be provided to enable the user to add additional generic blade / wing section layouts.
PHASE II: Further develop tool and demonstrate its capability to design blades and wings with a defined set of engineering constraints which also meets loading conditions. Expand the tool with automation and optimization to significantly reduce blade and wing design time.
PHASE III: Prepare tool for distribution and transition to the technical community by creating libraries of structural materials properties, loading conditions and design requirements (constraints). These cases should be demonstrated for a range of rotorcraft configurations (single main rotor helicopter, tandem, tiltrotor and high speed compound) and compare with formal detailed design structural analysis.
Present results to rotorcraft prime manufacturers to obtain feedback about the adequacy of the design tool, and to receive suggestions for improvements. If this project is successful, and further development is also successful, the resulting design tool can be used in the design of a variety of future military and civilian rotorcraft. Transition path potential may include rotorcraft manufacturers, DoD configuration design activities, or other activities.
REFERENCES:
1. Johnson, W., Yamauchi, G. K., and Watts, “NASA Heavy Lift Rotorcraft Systems Investigation,” NASA/TP-2005-213467, December 2005.
2. Zhang, J., and Smith, E., “Design Methodology and Analysis of Composite Blades for a Low Weight Rotor,” Proceedings of the American Helicopter Society Vertical Design Conference, San Francisco, CA, January 18-20, 2006.
3. Hodges, D. H., Saberi, H., and Ormiston, R. A., “Development of Nonlinear Beam Elements for Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analyses,” Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 52, No. 1, Jan. 2007.
4. Cesnik, C. E. S., and Hodges, D. H., “VABS: A New Concept for Composite Rotor Blade Cross-Sectional Modeling,” Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 42, No. 1, Jan. 1997.
KEYWORDS: Rotor, blade, wing, structures, cross-section, conceptual design, structural design, structural analysis, composite, materials, airfoil, rotorcraft, helicopter, tiltrotor, aeromechanics, dynamics, aeroelasticity, stability, tandem helicopter, compound helicopter, comprehensive analysis, optimization, automation, beam, beam analysis.
A08-023 TITLE: Reinforced High Temperature Titanium Metal Matrix Composite Systems For Impeller
Applications In Advanced Army Turboshaft Engines
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a reinforced high temperature titanium metal matrix composite material system for impeller applications in advanced Army turboshaft engines for increased performance.
DESCRIPTION: Ongoing operations in adverse and challenging theaters have created a need for increased performance from advanced turboshaft engines. It is anticipated that these advanced turboshaft engines will involve new centerline engines that are greater than 3,000 shaft-horsepower with a 20-35% reduction in specific fuel consumption (SFC), a 50-90% improvement in shaft horsepower to weight, and a 35-40% reduction in production and maintenance cost. These turboshaft engine goals are acknowledged to be highly aggressive. To achieve them will require technology leaps. New and innovative material systems are necessary to allow operation at higher cycle temperatures and pressure ratios to meet the necessary system level performance goals, while reducing the weight of the engine and providing an affordable solution.
The objective of this topic is to develop a reinforced high temperature titanium metal matrix composite (TiMMC) for impeller applications in turboshaft engines for Army rotorcraft. Titanium metal matrix composites (TiMMC) offer significant improvement in stiffness and strength over conventional monolithic alloys and allow significant component weight savings for advanced turbine engine applications. However; TiMMC used for impeller applications are prone to residual stress buildup that causes cracking within the impeller due to limited ductility. This topic will develop a reinforced TiMMC with improved ductility, strength, and stiffness to alleviate the cracking within the impeller. The reinforced high temperature TiMMC should be capable of operating at advanced turbine engine operating conditions, which include tip speeds of greater than 2000 ft/s and impeller exit temperatures of greater than 1100 degrees Fahrenheit while exhibiting 6,000 hrs / 15,000 low cycle fatigue (LCF) cycles of design life.
PHASE I: Phase I of the effort will develop and evaluate reinforced TiMMC systems (such as reinforced by nano sized dispersoids) for one or more creep resistant titanium alloy matrices (such as Ti-6-2-4-2+Si, Ti-834, Ti-1100) for turboshaft engine impeller applications. Phase I will evaluate manufacturability, feasibility, and basic mechanical properties of these systems, and may include coupon testing for evaluation of material properties. At the end of this phase, the optimal composite system should be selected to continue development in Phase II. The offeror should coordinate with an engine manufacturer to determine the operating temperatures and pressures that will be experienced in advanced turbine engines, and to determine the material properties necessary for operation in turboshaft engines for impeller applications. At the conclusion of Phase I, the composite system should prove to have the necessary properties, with the potential to be able to operate within the turboshaft engine environment for impeller applications.
PHASE II: This phase will develop and optimize the composite system selected in Phase I. A full scale component, representative of a turboshaft engine impeller, shall be produced and tested for mechanical properties including tensile, fatigue, creep, fracture toughness and crack growth. Material properties should be evaluated at room temperature and at equivalent elevated temperatures experienced in advanced turboshaft engines. Material structure and failure mechanisms should be examined. Manufacturability of the material and machinability, as well as the affordability should be evaluated.
PHASE III: Focus on the commercialization of the technology through integration into engine manufacturers’ propulsion systems for use in future engine development programs.
Commercialize the technology through integrating the developed system into engine manufacturers' military engine development efforts to contribute to the reduction of specific fuel consumption by 20-35%, improve shaft horsepower to weight by 50-90% and reduce production and maintenance costs by 35-50% with increased operating temperatures and pressures on future advanced military or commercial engine development programs. This technology has a wide application to multiple Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation current and future platforms in addition to multiple commercial platforms. For example, this technology is applicable to the development of an improved engine to support a growth CH-47 or Joint Heavy Lift (JHL).
DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The resulting effort will be applicable to both military and commercial applications as both applications can gain improved performance and higher operating temperatures and pressures with this technology.
REFERENCES:
1. Y.L. Qi, Y.Q. Zhao, L.Y. Zeng, X.N. Mao, “Influence of TiC Particle on Microstructures and Properties if Titanium Matrix Composite,” Ti-2003 Science and Technology, Proceedings of the 10th World Conference on Titanium, Hamburg, Germany, pp 2517-2521.
2. W.N, Hanusiak, J.L. Fields, D.S. Nansen, “Titanium Matrix Composites Status”, Ti-2003 Science and Technology, Proceedings of the 10th World Conference on Titanium, Hamburg, Germany, pp 2463-2469.
3. B. Hanusiak, R. Grabow, S. Tamirisa, F. Yolton, “Status of Enhanced Ti-6Al-4V Development”, Aeromat 2006, Seattle.
4. A. Vassel, “Interface Considerations in High Temperature Titanium Metal Matrix Composites”, J. of Microscopy, vol. 105, Feb 1997, pp.303-309.
5. M. Hagiwara, S. Emura, Y. Kawabe, N. Arimoto, S. Mori, “Properties of PM processes Titanium Alloy/Particulate Composites”, Metallurgy and Technology of Practical Titanium Alloys, TMS 1994, pp. 363-370.
6. W.J. Lu, L. Xiao, J.N. Qin, D. Zhang, ‘Microstructure Characterization of in-situ Synthesized Titanium Matrix Composites”, J. of Alloys and Compounds, V433, 2007, pp 140-146.
KEYWORDS: Titanium Metal Matrix Composite, Gas Turbine Engines, Turboshaft Engines, Impeller, High Temperature, Reinforced.
A08-024 TITLE: Lightweight Metallics for Cargo Helicopter Main Rotor Shaft Applications
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: This topic seeks to identify and develop an affordable lightweight metallic material and manufacturing process that could replace the current material and provide a significant weight reduction (15-25%) for the main rotor shafts of the CH-47 cargo helicopter.
DESCRIPTION: The main rotor shaft(s) of a large cargo helicopter such as the Boeing CH-47 are one of the largest,heaviest, and highly loaded single components on the aircraft. The current rotor shafts of the CH-47 are manufactured from AMS 6352 (AISI 9310) steel alloy hardened to Rockwell C 35. The shafts are nearly 48 inches long with a maximum diameter of 6 inches. The total aircraft flight loads are transferred from the main rotors, through the main rotor shaft, and into the airframe. The rotor shafts experience a combination of cyclic axial, torsional, and bending loads. The CH-47 forward rotorshaft weighs 216 pounds. The unltimate bending moment is 792,000 in-lbs and the ultimate torsional load is 2,600,000 in-lbs. The shafts have several splines at various locations along its axial length. These splines, which interface with the rotor controls and provide attachment points for the main rotor hub, are case hardened to Rockwell C 60 to provide wear resistance. The lower portion of the shaft consists of an integral planetary carrier through which the driving torque load is applied to the shaft. Potential approaches include the use of advanced titanium alloys, advanced high strength cobalt based alloys such as Aermet 100, and the combination of several different metallic materials to obtain the optimum solution. The ability to create high strength wear resistant splined joints equal to that provided by case carburization will be a key to the potential use of any new material system for this application. The proposed approach should place a high level of emphasis on affordability with respect to material and manufacturing costs. Corrosion resistance of the proposed solution should be equal to or greater than the current shaft. Target weight reduction is 15-25%.
PHASE I: During the phase I effort, analysis of the technical approach proposed should be conducted in detail. This analysis should include discussions with rotorcraft airframe manufacturers to identify the specific requirements for the main rotor shaft. A preliminary analysis of the potential weight savings and projected cost of the proposed approach should be conducted. Target weight reduction is 15-25%. Small scale manufacturing trials and material characterization testing may be conducted to establish basic feasibility and guide the effort to be conducted in
Phase II.
PHASE II: The results of the Phase I effort shall be further developed to scale-up the proposed approach and optimize materials and manufacturing methods. The specific approach to conducting this optimization and scale-up effort shall be closely coordinated with a rotorcraft airframe manufacturer. This development work shall be supported by necessary design and modeling effort. Manufacturing trials and material property development of increased complexity shall be conducted to evaluate the performance of the specific approach. Fabrication of a full-scale main rotor shaft shall be conducted. Static strain testing of the shaft shall be conducted and compared to predicted model results. Potential target applications shall be identified and plans for technology insertion and product development conducted.
PHASE III: Effort in this phase would involve further collaboration with the helicopter manufacturer regarding design and manufacture. Additional specimens would be fabricated incorporating any improvement resulting from the Phase II effort. Additional static testing and dynamic testing with full rotor loads applied should be conducted. Efforts to qualify the new design for flight test and introduction to service should be conducted. While the UAV ATO is the best which to link this technology at present, the potential transition path to current and future versions of the CH-47 cargo helicopter is clearly supported by the Cargo helicopter program manager.
REFERENCES:
1. Mack, J. C. , HLH Drive System, USAAMRDL-TR-77-38, Boeing Vertol Company, P.O. Box 16858 Philadelphia, PA., September 1977.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aermet-100.
3. http://www.cartech.com/products/wr_products_strength_am100.html.
4. Frederick W. Brown, Jeffrey D. Hayes and G. Keith Roddis, Improved Tooth Load Distribution in an Involute Spline Joint Using Lead Modifications Based on Finite Element.
KEYWORDS: Helicopters, shafts, steel, titanium, splines.
A08-025 TITLE: On-Line Oil Condition and Metal Wear Analysis Sensor
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this SBIR is to develop an on-line oil monitoring system that can detect metal debris content and the quality of the system lubricants. As health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) are implemented in the military, it is imperative to incorporate as much as possible of the aircraft maintenance process. Currently, aircraft with HUMS are primarily monitored for vibration measurements. In order to develop a more complete HUMS, implementation of routine maintenance schedules such as oil changes based as actual measured oil quality parameters is required.
Currently, to ascertain an Aircraft’s comprehensive operating oil condition, Army personnel must send a sample to an oil analysis laboratory. Depending on the distance the laboratory is from the aviation unit the process can take several days or longer. Conversely, this on-line oil monitoring system will produce results instantaneously, not days. Therefore, developing this on-line oil monitoring capability for HUMS will increase aircraft safety and operation and support (O&S) costs.
Aircraft lubricants are essential in maintaining the condition of flight critical components. Any degradation in the lubricant’s properties impairs its ability to protect the aircrafts dynamic components. By having the ability to monitor oil condition real-time and on aircraft, the user can change the oil at the optimum schedule and when unexpected contaminants are detected. Contaminated oil can degrade and corrode dynamic rotorcraft components. Thus, oil changing timing becomes critical as left unchecked degraded oil can damage flight critical parts the longer it remains in the aircraft. Contamination of oil can also cause seals to expand and develop fire hazards.
DESCRIPTION: This effort will develop a plug sized sensor to determine oil quality on-line and in real-time. The goal is to replace existing chip detectors with this on-line oil quality and metal wear analysis sensor. The sensor will have the ability to detect critical parameters the Army Oil Analysis Program (AOAP) and Joint Oil Analysis Program (JOAP) laboratories currently monitor such as the total acid number (TAN), water content, thermo-oxidative degradation, fuel/coolant dilution, and anti-oxidant depletion. The plug sensor will also detect the metal ware particle content in the oil. This recognition will include the ability to distinguish the size of the particles and identify specifically what metals particles are present in the oil. This is an important feature as detailed wear metal analysis can help indicate which components being lubricated are becoming degraded or failing. Therefore, this effort will give the aircraft’s maintainers the information presently available only at the AOAP and JOAP laboratories on the aircraft and in real-time.
PHASE I: Phase I of the effort will develop and validate the proposed technology. Phase I will develop the technology sufficiently to prove the viability and confirm the sensor can be made into a package small enough to replace existing chip detectors. The sensor design should be capable of operating in the intended environment.
PHASE II: Phase II will develop the Phase I technology into a fully functional prototype. The system will be tested to assess the accuracy and repeatability of the oil monitoring functions to include accurate readings of the critical parameters identified above and detailed metal analysis capability of debris present in the oil. Aircraft interface issues should be investigated and addressed.
PHASE III: Dual use applications. This technology is applicable to any aircraft. Both military and commercial operators could use the technology developed to better operate/manage aircraft lubricant systems to save O&S cost and enhance aircraft safety. This technology could be integrated into aircraft through existing chip detector locations which will make it a desirable product for the intended users. The information could also be implemented into HUMS if the aircraft is so equipped. Additionally, once validated and demonstrated , it is anticipated this technology will lessen the workloads of the AOAP and JOAP certified laboratories.
REFERENCES:
1. Joint Oil Analysis Program (JOAP) Users Manual, AR 700-132/AFI,
21-131(I)/OPNAVINST 4731.1B, November 2004.
2. Army Oil Analysis Program (AOAP) Guide for Leaders and Users, TB 43-0211, 1 Dec 2004.
3. On-Board Total Oil Monitoring System (TOMS) for Helicopter Transmissions and Engines, USAAMCOM TR-00-D-18, T. Digiuseppe, September 2001.
4. Integrated Oil Debris and Condition Sensor (IODACS) for Helicopter Transmissions and Engines, RDECOM TR 04-D-40, Digiuseppe, T., Henning, P., Hudson, H., June 2004.
KEYWORDS: Maintainability, maintenance management, sensors,miniature electronic equipment, miniaturization, user need.
A08-026 TITLE: Advanced Manufacturing methods for Composite Gearbox Housings for Rotorcraft
Applications
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Aviation
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: This topic seeks to develop lightweight, cost effective solutions for the integration of fluid passages into the walls of the composite gearbox housings for use on helicopters.
DESCRIPTION: Composite gearbox housings offer the potential for reducing the weight of future rotorcraft. Widespread use of composites in gearbox application has been limited by high manufacturing costs associated with several key technical challenges. This topic seeks to develop lightweight, cost effective solutions for the integration of fluid passages into the walls of the composite gearbox housings. These passages are currently integrated in to the metallic housing during the casting process. Gearbox housings used in current production rotorcraft applications are typically fabricated from either cast magnesium or aluminum alloys. Each of these materials has it’s own set of positive and negative attributes. Magnesium is lightweight and can be cast into complex shapes but is susceptible to corrosion. Careful design and the application of special coating systems has made magnesium acceptable in may applications. Aluminum, while denser than magnesium, is corrosion resistant and can also be cast into complex shapes. The increased density increases weight and reduces the overall performance of the rotorcraft. Various forms of composite housings may be applicable to the various gearbox housings on the rotorcraft. The accessory gearbox housing of the turboshaft engine is typically a higher temperature, lightly loaded structure. Compression molding of chopped carbon fiber with a high temperature resin has been utilized in the past. Main rotor gearboxes typically transmit all flight loads through the gearbox upper cover and thus utilize a more complex fabric type lay-up and resin transfer molding (RTM). Past efforts to integrate fluid lines into compression molded parts has been limited by variability in wall thickness, and the high cost associated with removal of wash out, or melt out cores. Past efforts at integrating fluid lines into RTM housings has been limited to post fabrication drilling, and external plumbing.
PHASE I: During the phase I effort, analysis of the technical approach proposed should be conducted in detail. This analysis should include discussions with rotorcraft airframe and engine manufacturers to identify their specific needs. Effort should be conducted to evaluate the various applications and manufacturing methods currently in use and anticipated in the future. The results of this effort should be utilized to determine the most effective method of integrating fluid passages into a rotorcraft composite gearbox housing. Given the potential that different manufacturing methods may be applicable to the various gearbox housings on the rotorcraft, it is possible that more than one approach may be required. Upon selection of the specific approach(s), small scale manufacturing trial should be conducted to establish basic feasibility and guide the effort to be conducted in Phase II.
PHASE II: The results of the Phase I effort shall be further developed to scale-up the proposed approach and optimize materials and manufacturing methods. The specific approach to conducting this optimization and scale-up effort shall be closely coordinated with a rotorcraft airframe or engine manufacturer. This development work shall be supported by necessary design and modeling effort. Manufacturing trials of increased complexity shall be conducted to evaluate the performance of the specific approach(s). Potential target applications shall be identified and plans for technology insertion and product development conducted.
PHASE III: Effort in this phase would involve further collaboration with the helicopter or engine manufacturer regarding design and manufacturing issues. Additional specimens would be fabricated incorporating any improvement resulting from the Phase II effort. Additional static testing and dynamic testing should be conducted. Efforts to qualify the new design for flight test and introduction to service should be conducted. the most likely transition paths are to the T-700 turboshaft engine and/or the UH-60, AH-64, and CH-47 helicopters.
REFERENCES:
1. Mitchell, S. C., Hill, P.A., Development of a Compression-Molded Graphite/PMR 15 Gearbox Housing, USAAVSCOM TR 90-D-7, General Electric Company, September 1990.
2. Lenski, Joseph, W., Advanced Transmission Components Investigation Program; Composite Transmission Housing Development, USAAVRADCOM-TR-83-D-9, Boeing Vertol Company, August 1983.
3. Hansen, Bruce, D., Chory, Anthony, G., MM&T Composite Helicopter Gearbox Housing, USAAVSCOM TR 90-D-6, Sikorsky aircraft, April 1991.
KEYWORDS: Composites, Gearbox Housings, Fabrication, Helicopters, Turboshaft Engines, Fuels, Lubricants.
A08-027 TITLE: Effects of High Temperature on Solid Propellants: Insights Into Their Effects on Slow and
Fast Cookoff Responses Toward Insensitive Munitions
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The first objective of this project is to develop a model to predict physical and chemical changes in solid propellants as they increase in temperature during Slow and Fast Cook-Off (SCO and FCO) Insensitive Munitions (IM) testing. The second objective is to develop a subscale, inexpensive test that predicts the results of full scale SCO and FCO IM tests.
DESCRIPTION: Several incidents that resulted in significant loss of life and property, including the one on the Forrestal during the Viet Nam conflict, demonstrated that bombs and missiles are susceptible to bullet and fragment impact, slow and fast cook-off, sympathetic detonation, and shape charge jet threats. MIL-STD-2105C outlines the Insensitive Munitions program that requires all warheads, explosives, and propulsion systems to comply with its requirements or get waivers while they work toward meeting their requirements.
Many propellants have difficulty passing the SCO and FCO threats because the hazardous processes are occurring within the propellant itself and mechanical mitigations have not been as effective as desired. Propellant chemical, physical, and performance properties have been well studied for temperature less than 70°C, but very little work has been done between 70°C and the auto-ignition temperature.
This project has two primary tasks. The first task is to characterize the chemical, physical and performance properties at temperatures approaching auto-ignition. Hypotheses for physical and chemical changes that occur during cook-off tests will be developed based upon the experimental test results. The second task is to develop a small scale, inexpensive test that successfully predicts the results of expensive full scale SCO and FCO tests. This task also includes developing a model that predicts physical and chemical changes that occur during these two IM tests.
PHASE I: The goal of Phase 1 is to establish hypotheses for changes in physical characteristics, decomposition, and/or reactions that occur in solid propellants as they approach their autoignition temperature. Knowledge of physical and chemical changes that occur to solid propellants as the temperature increases will be of great importance to those who are formulating solid propellants to pass SCO and FCO IM requirements. The effect of increasing temperature on chemical and physical properties will be determined for smoky, reduced smoke, and minimum smoke solid propellants (three classes) using conventional instrumental techniques. The composition of off-gassing and decomposition products that are given off during heating will be determined in order to infer what chemical changes are occurring. Tests will be performed to determine the temperatures at which physical and chemical changes occur, including the auto-ignition temperature. The changes in density as temperature increases will be determined. Microscopic techniques will be used to determine changes such as migration, dewetting, and bulk propellant damage. Other tests that determine chemical and physical changes at increasing temperature will also add to the data base. At a minimum, these tests will be performed at 20°C, 40°C, and 60°C below the auto-ignition temperature for that propellant as determined by previous testing. The results of the experimental testing will be analyzed to determine trends and correlations and one or more hypotheses will be proposed that predict the physical and chemical changes that occur to the three classes of solid propellants.
PHASE II: Small scale motor tests will be performed to determine the effect of increasing temperature on the burning rate, combustion pressure, and thrust. These results will be combined with the hypotheses from Phase I to develop a model for the changes within solid propellants as the temperature approaches auto-ignition. Other tests may be necessary to confirm the model. Two solid propellant formulations will be made based on the model and tested to validate the model. A small scale, inexpensive test will be developed to predict SCO and FCO tests based on the model’s prediction of scaling from subscale to full scale engine tests. This test will be used to characterize all three classes of propellants. Two of the formulations tested will be selected for full scale SCO and FCO tests. One of the formulations will expect a violent response and the other a mild response. The model will be revised, if necessary, after the subscale and full scale testing.
PHASE III: The results of this program can be applied to all Army warheads and propulsion systems currently deployed missiles including TOW, Javelin, Hellfire, MLRS, ATACMS, and PAC2 and PAC3. Other developing systems such as ADKEM and NLOS-LS will also be interested. The Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and NASA will also be interested in applying this technique to their solid propellant, warhead, bomb, and other energetic formulations. This program would also be of interest to Home Land Security and the Fire Safety Council.
REFERENCES:
1. Sutton, Georg P., and Biblarz, Oscar, “Rocket Propulsion Elements,” Seventh Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York. 2001.
2. Bishop, Rodney D., and Frederick Jr, Robert A., “Numerical analysis of a Nonlinear Burn Rate Equation,” AIAA 95-2582, 31st AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference July 10-12, San Diego, CA, 1995.
3.. Biggs, Gary L, “Forecasting Structural Reliability of Rocket Solid Propellants over Time,” RTO AVT Specialists’ Meeting on “Advances in Rocket Performance Life and Disposal” held in Aalborg, Denmark, 23-26 September 2002, and published in RTO-MP-091.
4. Department of Defense Test method Standard, “HAZARD ASSESMENT TESTS FROM NON-NUCLEAR MUNITIONS,” MIL-STD-2105C, 14 July 200.
KEYWORDS: Insensitive Munitions, solid propellants, burning rate, auto-ignition temperature.
A08-028 TITLE: Complementary Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE)/Testing (NDT) Techniques for
Stockpile Reliability Programs (SRP) of U.S. Army Tactical Missile Systems
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate non-invasive radiography testing techniques that are complementary to current Army NDE/NDT methods than can determine dimensions, flaws (voids, inclusions, and cracks), proper assembly of components, corrosion, and other performance limiting defects within U.S. Army tactical missile systems that consist of heterogeneous materials (i.e. explosives, adhesives, electronic components, composites, plastics, etc.).
DESCRIPTION: Current state-of-the-art (SOTA) NDE/NDT technology has not been demonstrated on U.S. Army missile systems and new methods need to be developed, particularly in an effort to keep pace with the development of new materials (i.e. composites) and applications. Advances in the use of lasers and imaging technology (including video, holography and thermography) have made non contact NDE/NDT more viable in many situations. Computer advances have allowed signal processing techniques and expert systems to be used which enhances the quality of the information obtained using traditional and new NDE/NDT methods.
Explosives (including initiators, warheads, and propulsion units), electronic systems, and mechanical systems degrade over time based on the temperatures and vibration environments to which they are exposed. Other environments (humidity, chemical) also degrade these and other systems in various ways (e.g. corrosion, adhesive degradation, tin whisker growth greater than 20 mils, etc.). It is critical to long-term system reliability that components be monitored within the systems on a continual basis through the SRP. As part of the SRP, traditional X-ray NDE/NDT methods are employed to inspect missile systems prior to component/flight testing to determine the levels of degradation the missile components have received during field handling/storage environments. However, high resolution views of these systems using traditional X-ray NDE/NDT techniques are often obscured due to storage/shipping containers, peripheral components and different material types. These traditional X-ray NDE/NDT techniques cannot see corrosion, adhesive degradation, or other shelf life and performance limiting anomalies that currently go undetected (e.g. cracks smaller than 0.1 mm in thickness in explosives/propulsion units, air gaps around bridgewires within explosive initiators, polymer rich spherical voids on the order of
0.375 mm-0.625 mm in diameter within the propulsion unit). Other characteristics of defects and flaws (i.e. size, shape, and location) are dependent on the missile system and the types of materials generally utilized in development of each component.
Radiographic quality is defined by two terms, sensitivity and resolution. Sensitivity is that change in material thickness that may be detected on the radiograph. Resolution is the size of discontinuity (void, inclusion, delamination, etc) that may be detected on the radiograph. A radiograph quality level is typically represented by a two digit term, i.e.2-2T. The first digit (2) represents the sensitivity in percent of the total thickness of material of interest penetrated. The second (2T) represents the resolution in percent of total thickness. A quality level of 2-2T is generally considered the standard.
Currently, the U.S. Army has demonstrated on larger items a quality level exceeding 1/4-1/4T. In other words, a thickness change of 0.25% and a discontinuity within the part of .25% of the parts thickness could be detected on primarily carbon-based materials. A further example of the capabilities of current U.S. Army X-ray radiography (in terms of spatial resolution and minimum resolved spacing) can be found in reference 6.
PHASE I: Perform a feasibility study to identify SOTA NDE/NDT techniques/technologies that can safely be performed on current tactical missile systems for the U.S. Army. The reseach for the feasibility study will determine the current capability of these SOTA techniques/technologies (see below references for a sampling of new techniques that could be considered) with respect to the types of defects/materials and sizes of U.S. Army tactical missile systems to achieve a minimum of current capabilities but for carbon and non-carbon based materials. A system design shall be developed that focuses on the design, fabrication and application of these techniques (either for one type of NDE/NDT technique or a hybrid technique that incorporates multiple technologies) that will provide better resolution of current imaging techniques and can determine performance limiting defects in tactical missile systems without “false positives”. The contractor should identify the safety and performance benefits along with associated costs. Results will be addressed in a final Phase I report with associated costs to further develop the recommended system in Phase II.
PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a prototype system on realistic missile system components. Conduct testing to demonstrate certain key attributes of the system including safety, reliability, and performance improvements over current U.S. Army capabilities. Government furnished components with inherent flaws will be provided to demonstrate and evaluate the feasibility of the test equipment.
PHASE III: This system could be applied to a broad range of civilian and military applications, including the inspection of commercial shipping containers, vehicles, aircraft, and missiles. The system could be an integral part of new techniques for Homeland Security inspections.
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.engineershandbook.com/MfgMethods/ndt.htm.
2. http://www-llb.cea.fr/neutrono/nr1.html.
3. Müller, Bernd R., et al, X-ray Refraction Topography and Computed Tomography for NDE of Lightweight Materials, EC NDT, September 25-29. 2006. available at http://www.ndt.net/article/ecndt2006/doc/Tu.3.5.3.pdf.
4. Vontobel, P., et al, Neutrons for the Study of Adhesive Connections, 16th World Conference on NDT, August 30-September 3, 2004, available at http://www.ndt.net/abstract/wcndt2004/365.htm.
5. FEINFOCUS and Xradia Introduce Advanced Micro-CT X-ray Inspection; http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/470461.
6. Cao, L, et al, The Devlopment of High Spatial Resolution Neutron Imaging system at the University of Texas at Austin, Presentation dated 9-14-2006, http://www.engr.utexas.edu/trtr/agenda/documents/Cao.pdf.
7. Dimensions for Army small tactical missile systems (i.e. Hellfire, Javelin, TOW, Stinger) can be found at:
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/usmissiles.html
8. The following website gives good details under the "Rockets for Rookies" link:
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/usmissiles.html.
KEYWORDS: Stockpile Reliability Program (SRP), Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), tactical missiles, radiography, thermography.
A08-029 TITLE: Thermal Management in a Composite Skin Missile Airframe
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop a laminated carbon fiber and multi-functional polymer based composite that provides increased heat dissipation characteristics with minimal impact on the structure's weight, and without significantly increasing cost of manufacturing and materials or decreasing overall composite strength. Since the costs of traditional composites vary with respect to individual components, cost will not be based on a specific goal value. It will simply be comparative to other baseline options. Weight and strength will be assessed in a similar manner. While heat dissipation could be similarly compared as the other driving attributes, a goal of 50 W/m K (Watts per meter per degree Kelvin) is anticipated, which would be significantly better than traditional, baseline carbon based composite laminates.
DESCRIPTION: Modern tactical missile systems rely on polymer based composites due to their high-strength, low-weight characteristics. Traditional, laminated carbon fiber composites are capable of transferring heat within each carbon layer; however, the transfer from one layer to another is very low. By allowing more heat to transfer between layers, more heat would be dissipated throughout and distributed through the structure minimizing the local impact of the heat source. Enhanced heat dissipation in composite structures would enable mounted electronics within airframes, such as radar and CPUs (central processing units), to disperse excess heat prior to electronic component or composite structure failure. The challenge lies in the novel incorporation of fillers, coating, or other heat transfer mechanisms in a manner that can still be incorporated into a composite manufacturing process without significantly increasing cost or weight while also maintaining required strength levels.
PHASE I: Screening analyses will be performed to test various fillers, resin systems, chemical species, coatings, or other potential heat transfer improving materials for laminated composite manufacturing. Manufacturing methods such as filament winding and hand laid laminates are of greatest interest for the proposed research. Criteria for selection should include thermal properties, potential for incorporation into traditional airframe manufacturing methods, mechanical performance characteristics, weight, and cost. Through coupon/sub-scale testing, candidates shall be chosen. Baseline criteria and respective values for strength, cost, weight, and heat dissipation will be assessed for comparative purposes. A heat dissipation goal of 50 W/m K for the composite structure will be pursued through computer analysis and product testing. Considered success for Phase I will be small scale composite products and thermal models that illustrate significant advances in heat dissipation versus traditional methods as well as the associated trade-offs between cost, strength, and weight. Trade studies will be utilized.
PHASE II: Readiness for Phase II will be determined by assessing the progress within the Phase I effort. If the 50 W/m K goal has been obtained without significantly sacrificing strength, weight, or cost, the project would be considered ready for Phase II. If the goal heat conductivity has not yet been met, but significant advances have still been made from baseline thermal conductivities, the program may be considered ready for Phase II. Building from the information gained from Phase I, models will be generated using the data to determine the benefits of the selected candidates into, but not limited to, tube-shaped prototype airframes under representative thermal loads due to component heating. These prototype structures will then be manufactured to test the accuracy of the model and to verify the capabilities and processability of the candidates. Processing parameters will be documented for each structure manufactured and tested. Final processing parameters will be defined.
PHASE III: Enhanced heat dissipation in composite structures would enable mounted electronics within airframes, such as radar and CPUs (central processing units), to disperse excess heat prior to electronic component or composite structure failure. Representative systems that could utilize such technologies are the future Air-to-Ground Missile System (AGMS) and Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS). Other defense applications include man portable combat systems, tube launch systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and various non-DOD applications.
REFERENCES:
1. Cho, D. et. al., “Thermal Conductivity and Thermal Expansion Behavior of Pseudo-Unidirectional and 2-Directional Quasi-Carbon Fiber/Phenolic Composites,” Fibers and Polymers 2004, Vol.5, No.1, 31-38.
2. Dinwiddie, R.B. et.al., "The Thermal Conductivity of Carbon-fiber Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites," USDOE Technical Report, June 26, 2006.
3. Kato, O. et.al., "R&D on Technology for Fabrication of Carbon Fiber of High Thermal Conductivity," Petroleum Energy Center, 2000.
4. Che, J. et. al., "Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotubes," Nanotechnology, p65-69, March 2, 2000.
KEYWORDS: Thermal management, heat transfer, heat dissipation, composites, carbon fiber, composite structures.
A08-030 TITLE: Improved environmental protection for Zinc Sulfide
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this topic is to develop novel methods or techniques for improving the protection of Zinc Sulfide (ZnS)/multispectral ZnS domes and windows from environmental damage.
DESCRIPTION: Multimode seekers are of increasing interest to the Army and the Department of Defense. Such seekers typically use multiple bands within the infrared requiring the use of dome and window materials with a broad transmission spectrum. Multispectral Zinc Sulfide provides excellent broadband transmission but suffer from susceptibility to damage from handling, sand erosion, and rain impact. Some sort of environmental protection is required to prevent damage during normal operations. The purpose of this topic is to develop an advanced missile dome protection for ZnS/multispectral ZnS that surpasses the durability of the latest coatings. The protection can be a replacement for or a supplement to existing coatings. The combination of micro/nanostructures with existing coatings might be appropriate.
PHASE I: Develop techniques for improving the durability of ZnS/multispectral ZnS windows and domes using protective surface structures and/or coatings. The technique must address antireflection without degrading infrared transmission. A coated transmission of 65% at 1.06 micron wavelength and an average transmission of 85% for 8 to 12 microns is desired. The contractor will perform transmission measurements and provide data for each technique. Six Zinc Sulfide flats of approximately 1” in diameter will be prepared and delivered to the Government for rain and/or sand erosion testing. The flats will be provided by the Army. The goal is to make a convincing case that the contractor commands the processes necessary to make durable domes in Phase II.
PHASE II: Further refine the protection for ZnS/multispectral ZnS selected during Phase I. For success in this phase the contractor must: 1) provide transmission data that verifies that infrared transmission is maintained, and 2) perform whirling arm rain erosion testing to compare the developed protection with a state-of-the-art coating to be chosen by the Army. This test should demonstrate a minimum of 50% increase in transmission at 1.06 microns, after 10 minutes at 550 mph, over the chosen coating. Two 7” diameter domes processed with the techniques developed in this topic shall also be delivered to the Army for possible testing. The particular ZnS variant to be used for the domes will be determined during the course of the topic.
PHASE III: Demonstrate full production capability for processing Zinc Sulfide windows and domes using the protection technique(s) developed and refined in Phases I and II.
REFERENCES:
1. "Material for Infrared Windows and Domes," Dan Harris, ISBN 0-8194-3482-5, SPIE Press, 1999.
2. "Materials for infrared windows and domes: Properties and performance", Daniel C. Harris, Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, Bellingham, August 1999.
3. "Tri-mode seeker dome considerations", James C. Kirsch, William, R. Lindberg, Daniel C. Harris, Michael J. Adcock, Tom P. Li, Earle A. Welsh, Rick D. Akins, Proc. SPIE Vol. 5786, p. 33-40, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials IX; Randal W. Tustison; Ed., 18 May 2005.
4. "Improved rain erosion protection for multi-spectral ZnS", Shay Joseph, Orna Marcovitch, Ygal Yadin, Avi Steinberg, Hedva Zipin, Proc. SPIE Vol. 5786, p. 373-380, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials IX; Randal W. Tustison; Ed., 18 May 2005.
5. "Durable coatings for IR windows", Lee Goldman, Sartsh Jha, Nilesi Gunda, Rick Cooke, Neeta Agarival, Suri Sastri, Alan Harker, and James Kirsch, Proc. SPIE Vol. 5786, p. 381-392, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials IX; Randal W. Tustison; Ed., 18 May 2005.
6. “High durability antireflection coatings for silicon and multispectral ZnS”, Shay Joseph, Orna Marcovitch, Ygal Yadin, Dror Klaeman, Nitzan Koren, and Hedva Zipin, Proc. SPIE Vol. 6545, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials X; Randal W. Tustison; Ed., 29 April 2007.
7. “Erosion studies of infrared dome materials”, Roger Sulivan, Andrew Phelps, James Kirsch, Earle Welch, and Daniel Harris, Proc. SPIE Vol. 6545, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials X; Randal W. Tustison; Ed. , 29 April 2007.
8. “Update on development of high performance anti-reflecting surface relief micro-structure”, Douglas S. Hobbs, Bruce D. Macloud, and Juanita Riccobono, Proc. SPIE Vol. 6545, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials X; Randal W. Tustison; Ed. , 29 April 2007.
9. “Development of hot-pressed and chemical-vapor-deposition Zinc Sulfide and Zinc Selenide in the United States for optical windows”, Dan Harris, Proc. SPIE Vol. 6545, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials X; Randal W. Tustison; Ed., 29 April 2007.
KEYWORDS: Infrared windows, long wave infrared, zinc sulfide, rain erosion protection.
A08-031 TITLE: Advanced Adaptive Maneuvering Air Vehicle
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To provide innovative design variants for an intercept against threats possessing intentional maneuver capability while addressing large handover uncertainty associated with early detection and launch of an interceptor for extended range intercept.
DESCRIPTION: Current interceptor designs have limited range and maneuverability. To address extended range intercepts, more handover error must be removed during the flight. This in turn drives the stored divert requirements and ultimately the entire missile stack-up. To add further complexity, newer threats are anticipated to have intentional aerodynamic maneuver capability from mid (50km) to low (20km) altitude. For long times of flight a very small threat maneuver G capability leads to significant interceptor divert requirements. Practical interceptor designs to include the entire missile stack are sought that can address these advanced threats.
Long duration flight times within the atmosphere require significant speed to maintain sufficient maneuverability to address the threat maneuvers. Flying outside the atmosphere puts a severe burden on the amount of stored propellant required driving the overall mass to potentially unacceptable levels. Options to achieve the necessary maneuvers include propulsive or aerodynamic. Each of these options have there advantage and disadvantage. In addition, typical cylindrical interceptor body geometries do not lend themselves to very efficient lifting body geometries (i.e. poor maneuverability). Usually, L/D range from less than 1 to an achievable maximum of 1.5. To address the energy loss that will be realized within the atmosphere designs are sought that provide greater L/D performance. Traditional lift generating devices, such as wings, lifting body, or blended wing-body may offer sufficient improvement to allow a viable interceptor concept. Unfortunately, the introduction of lifting surfaces also drives the aero-heating. A simple extension of the axisymmetric, geometry to an elliptical configuration appears to be a feasible starting point to increase lift while minimizing drag, but more intelligent and innovative alternatives need to be explored.
Methods have been proposed to address these advanced maneuvering threats, but only for short range. Adaptive maneuverability techniques need to be developed to address the more complex maneuver capability possessed by these advanced threats. Blended aero-propulsive controls have been shown to work well for short range threat scenarios. An extension of the state-of-the-art is sought to address more robust threat maneuverability and extended range operation. Hence, intelligent and innovative alternatives are sought to defeat a highly maneuverable extended range threat.
PHASE I: Phase I proposals must demonstrate (1) a thorough understanding of the Topic area, (2) technical comprehension of key interceptor performance problem areas, (3) technical comprehension of high speed flight control and maneuverability to include methods of operation from launch to intercept, and (4) previous experience in designing non-axisymmetric/flight vehicle concepts that address structural, thermal, and aerodynamic performance predictions using state-of-the-art methods to verify the performance data used to perform system level performance evaluations.
Technical approaches will be formulated in Phase I to address each of the key problem areas. System level performance for the candidate concepts will then be characterized through a trade study evaluation (missile stack and interceptor to include body geometry and subcomponents necessary to support the overall interceptor concept) to demonstrate the most efficient means to address the maneuvering threat (ballistic, atmospheric flight, or combination). The study will include evaluation of propulsive, aerodynamic, and/or blended methods to achieve the desired interceptor maneuverability with a flight duration up to 400 s with a range up to 1,500 km. The performance study will include performance objectives and methods from launch to the intended intercept utilizing 3 or 6-degree-of-freedom simulation modeling as required. To support the system simulation efforts, aerodynamics, mass properties, component design and operational performance limits will be addressed. However, Phase I will focus primarily on the kinematic performance. It is understood that the lowest risk (possibly lowest cost) approach may be the least efficient, but the information may prove very useful in the down select process envisioned for Phase II where more detailed analysis of the system performance will be pursued on a selected concept(s).
PHASE II: For Phase II, a down selection from the Phase I trade study will focus further analysis on those concepts that show the most promise to address intercept of the maneuvering threat. During the Phase II process, a system engineering effort will continue to study operational performance of the interceptor, but emphasis will shift as to define component performance (airframe geometry, control surfaces, IMU, GPS, Seeker, Propulsive Subsystem, GN&C software) influence on the overall performance.
PHASE III: If successful, the end result of this Phase-I/Phase-II research effort will be advanced interceptor missile designs.
The transition of this product, advanced design concepts, to an operational capability will require application for specific threat scenarios along with design maturation detail development for component placement (packaging), materials selection (for thermal protection and strength), and fabrication of a prototype. Additional refinements may be required specifically in the way of component performance studies and guidance/control studies.
For military applications, this technology is directly applicable to all missile systems. The most likely customer and source of Government funding for Phase-III will be those service project offices responsible for the development of current intercept missile systems - THAAD, PAC-3, and NMD programs - and advanced hypersonic missile systems - HyFly, X-51, and Facet.
For commercial applications, this technology is directly applicable to advanced avionics techniques for commercial applications such as high speed supersonic transports and to orbital launch systems.
REFERENCES:
1. Gang, T., Adaptive Control Design and Analysis, Wiley-IEEE Press, July 2003.
2. Cottrell, R.G., Vincent, T.L., and Sadati, S.H., ‚"Minimizing Interceptor Size Using Neural Networks for Terminal Guidance Law Synthesis.‚" Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 1996.
3. "Optimum Lifting Body Shapes in Hypersonic Flow at High Angles of Attack," Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Volume 7, Number 1/:January 1995.
4. "Optimum Form of Lifting Bodies at Hypersonic Speeds," Journal of Fluid Dynamics, Volume 2, Number 2/March 1967.
KEYWORDS: Air vehicle, intercept, adaptive maneuver techniques, aerodynamics.
A08-032 TITLE: Advanced Scramjet Engine/Vehicle Design
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To provide innovative design variants to axisymmetric, annular flow, scramjet engine and flight vehicle configurations which can resolve vehicle lift and engine startup limitations.
DESCRIPTION: Current computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model calculations predict reasonable performance for hydrogen fueled, axisymmetric, annular flow, scramjet engine and flight vehicle configurations in the high speed Mach 10-12 flight regime. This basic engine/vehicle configuration offers many advantages for future Army tactical weapons development in terms of packaging, storage, launch technique, and as a structurally efficient flight vehicle. These same theoretical calculations, however, also reveal practical limitations to the basic geometry because (1) engine performance degrades rapidly with angle-of-attack greater than about one degree and (2) engine start at design flight Mach number requires that either some captured air be diverted or that the flowpath area be increased during the startup transient.
Any extended constant-altitude flight trajectory with the basic axisymmetric, annular flow, scramjet engine and flight vehicle configuration, for which the scramjet excels, will require lift to maintain altitude. As stated above, flight at angle-of-attack to produce lift degrades engine performance as an undesirable consequence; yet, traditional lift generating devices, such as wings, are largely precluded in the Mach 10-12 flight regime because of drag and aeroheating. A simple extension of the axisymmetric, annular flow geometry to an elliptical configuration appears as a feasible alternative to increase lift at low angle-of-attack but more intelligent and innovative alternatives need to be explored.
Methods have been proposed to solve the startup problem for the basic axisymmetric, annular flow, scramjet engine and flight vehicle configuration using a variable geometry flowpath. Even more exotic alternatives, e.g. an eroding inlet cowl, have been offered, but incorporation of a truly practical, workable solution remains illusive. Hence, intelligent and innovative alternatives are also required to insure startup for either the basic or any alternate scramjet engine/vehicle geometries.
PHASE I: Phase I proposals must demonstrate (1) a thorough understanding of the Topic area, (2) technical comprehension of key lift, drag, and engine performance interaction problem areas, (3) technical comprehension of high speed scramjet startup phenomena, and (4) previous experience in modeling integral scramjet engine/flight vehicle performance using state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics models for nonequilibrium, chemically reacting flows.
Technical approaches will be formulated in Phase I to address each of the key problem areas. At least one innovative, meaningful demonstration will be proposed and a flowfield solution produced with the computational model during Phase I to assess the potential for Phase II success. The goal for Phase I is a Mach 10-to-15 scramjet powered hypersonic flight vehicle of elliptical, or possibly kidney shaped, plan form providing a lift-to-drag ratio of 3-4 in an outward turning annular flow configuration.
PHASE II: Additional design alternatives formulated in Phase I will be developed and refined using computational fluid dynamics to evaluate engine performance and flight characteristics over a broad range of tactical scenarios of interest. The ultimate objective of Phase II will be an optimization of the Phase I design which can, in addition to the Phase I goals, achieve engine start from booster separation at Mach 8 to provide for acceleration to cruise at Mach 10-to-15 and flight times from 100 to 400 seconds with an inlet kinetic energy efficiency of at least 97%, a combustion efficiency of at least 80%, and a nozzle efficiency of at least 97%.
PHASE III: If successful, the end result of this Phase-I/Phase-II research effort will be advanced scramjet engine powered flight vehicle design concepts. The transition of this product, advanced design concepts, to an operational capability will require application for specific mission requirements.
For military applications, this technology is directly applicable to all airbreathing missile propulsion systems. The most likely customer and source of Government funding for Phase-III will be those service project offices responsible for the development of advanced hypersonic missile systems such as the Navy/DARPA HyFly, Air Force X-51, and DARPA Facet programs.
For commercial applications, this technology is directly applicable to advanced propulsion techniques for commercial applications such as high speed supersonic transports and to orbital launch systems. such as high speed supersonic transports and to orbital launch systems.
REFERENCES:
1. Voland, R.T, et.al., “CIAM/NASA Mach 6.5 Scramjet Flight and Ground Test,” AIAA Paper AIAA-99-4848.
2. Weir, L.J., et.al., “A New Design Concept for Supersonic Axisymmetric Inlets,” AIAA Paper AIAA-2002-3775.
KEYWORDS: Scramjet, flight vehicle, computational fluid dynamics, hydrogen fuel, lift, startup.
A08-033 TITLE: Transpiration Cooling Computational Fluid Dynamics Submodel
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop advanced submodels for transpiration cooling which can account for the physics of the process in either Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) or Large Eddy Simulation (LES) computational fluid dynamics formulations.
DESCRIPTION: Transpiration cooling is a process whereby a cooling media is introduced in low quantities in the vicinity of a wall of a missile/rocket component such as a combustor, nozzle, control surface, or inlet. The resulting film absorbs heat from the wall and simultaneously reduces the drag of the flow over the wall. Cooling and drag reduction are simultaneously achieved with the transpiration cooling concept; yet this two-fold advantage has rarely been utilized.
The goal or technical objective of this effort is to (1) quantify the advantages of the use of a transpiration cooling technique, (2) to accurately simulate the transpiration cooling concept, and (3) to determine the advantages of various cooling media. State-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics models for multi-phase, chemically reacting flows incorporating transpiration submodels would serve as the foundation to accomplish these goals.
Innovative concepts for the application of this technology are desired to be applied to any of a number of aero-propulsion applications, combustor applications being the item of highest interest and the nozzle of least interest. This requires both innovative applications of the technology and accurate physical simulations of the process.
PHASE I: Phase I proposals must demonstrate (1) a thorough understanding of the Topic area, (2) technical comprehension of key transpiration problem areas such as boundary conditions and particle/mixing/combustion interactions, and (3) previous computational fluid dynamics experience in modeling multi phase, nonequilibrium gas particle, chemically reacting flows with a computational fluid dynamics code possessing those capabilities.
Technical approaches will be formulated in Phase I to address the key problem areas for inclusion into computational fluid dynamic models. At least one innovative, meaningful demonstration of transpiration cooling will be executed and a flowfield solution produced with the computational model during Phase I to assess the potential for Phase II success. Such a demonstration could, for example, model helium transpiration into a Mach 3 air cross flow at 1 atmosphere static pressure and 1800 K static temperature since this methodology would feed directly into the Phase II prototype demonstration.
PHASE II: Additional model improvements formulated in Phase I will be incorporated as prototype computational fluid dynamics submodels for inclusion into an existing Government or commercially available computational fluid dynamics model. This advanced computational fluid dynamics model will be run blind for a a hypersonic scramjet test case for which detailed flowfield data will be available to demonstrate the advanced capabilities for analyzing and modeling transpiration cooling.
PHASE III: If successful, the end result of this Phase-I/Phase-II research effort will be validated submodels for the design and analysis of transpiration cooling concepts.
The transition of this product, a set of validated research tools, to an operational capability will require additional upgrades of the software tool set for a user-friendly environment along with the concurrent development of application specific data bases to include the required input parameters such as combustor geometries, aerodynamic properties, and performance parameters.
For military applications, this technology is directly applicable to all combustion driven missile propulsion systems. The most likely customer and source of Government funding for Phase-III will be those service project offices responsible for the development of advanced hypersonic vehicles such as the Navy/DARPA HyFly, Air Force X-51, and DARAPA Facet programs.
For commercial applications, this technology is directly applicable to commercial and industrial combustion processes - power plants, kilns, foundries - as well as commercial aircraft and rocket propulsion systems.
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Oct04/ML0312.html.
2. http://www.stormingmedia.us/80/8039/A803973.html.
3. http://www.andrews-space.com/content-main.php?subsection=MjA3.
4. Zucrow, M.J., and Hoffman, J.D. Gas Dynamics, Volume I, John Wiley & Sons, 1976.
KEYWORDS: Transpiration, computational fluid dynamics, two phase, gas particle flow, finite rate chemistry, combustion, propulsion.
A08-034 TITLE: Low Power Electronics and Energy Harvesting for Anti-tamper Applications
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Contractor shall develop low power electronics with energy harvesting suitable for use in active (powered) anti-tamper (AT) applications. Contractor can propose adding energy harvesting to a current low power AT technology, or develop a new AT technology based on low power electronics and energy harvesting.
DESCRIPTION: As AT is a relatively new area of concern, the development of AT techniques is in a somewhat immature state and new ideas are always needed. One area needing protection is in the electronics of weapon systems, where there are many critical technologies that can be compromised. Techniques are now emerging to begin to try to combat this loss of the U.S. technological advantage, but further advances are necessary. The goal of low power electronics and energy harvesting is to extend the operational lifetime to 20 years for powered (active) anti-tamper techniques.
We are interested in low power electronics and energy harvesting systems capable of achieving 20 years of powered operational time for active AT electronics. Contractor shall propose a design for a low power active anti-tamper system with energy harvesting to extend the operational life for active AT electronics. Contractors may submit proposals for current AT techniques implemented with low power electronics and energy harvesting, or new techniques implemented with low power electronics and energy harvesting. Low power electronics and energy harvesting will be approximately equally weighted. Contractor shall estimate operational lifespan of the proposed system. Proposals will be judged based on the proposed anti-tamper system and the estimated operational lifetime for the low power electronics with energy harvesting.
For the low power electronics and energy harvesting for anti-tamper applications, the nominal operating temperature range is -20 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. Operation over the industrial temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius is desired. Reduced performance at the ends of the industrial temperature range is acceptable. Operation over a wider temperature range, up to full military temperature range of -55 Celsius to + 125 Celsius, will be considered a plus.
The available energy for energy harvesting will depend on environment. In storage, there may be very little or no energy available for energy harvesting. During transportation, there will be a significant amount of motion for energy harvesting. Current literature reports energy harvesting over the power range of 0.5 to 150 microwatt level [1] and 50 microwatt [2]. Energy harvesting techniques have a limit on the peak power available [3]. Current research indicates that a battery/energy harvesting system can be optimized to operate energy neutral, where the average power consumption does not discharge the battery (ignoring self discharge) [3].
It should also be noted that the use of off-the-shelf components in a system can seriously compromise an AT design due to the ready availability of open-source documentation. The effort should therefore focus on denying an adversary access to enough information to begin such a data search. The technologies/techniques developed should inhibit an adversary’s exploitation and/or reverse engineering effort to a point where it will require a significant resource investment to compromise, allowing the U.S. time to advance its own technology or otherwise mitigate the loss. As a result, the U.S. Army can continue to maintain a technological edge in support of its warfighters.
PHASE I: Contractor shall research and determine the feasibility of extending the operational life of a low powered, active anti-tamper system with energy harvesting. The contractor may develop simulations, and/or prototype hardware to demonstrate proposed concepts for low power active anti-tamper with energy harvesting technologies. The contractor shall provide a report on low power active anti-tamper system with energy harvesting concept.
PHASE II: Contractor shall develop proposed low power active anti-tamper system with energy harvesting into a working prototype. The nominal operating temperature range is -20 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. Operation over the industrial temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius is desired. Reduced performance at the ends of the industrial temperature range is acceptable. Operation over a wider temperature range, up to full military temperature range of -55 Celsius to + 125 Celsius, will be considered a plus.
Contractor shall perform accelerated aging test to determine the operation life time for the low power active anti-tamper system with energy harvesting over the industrial temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius, or a wider temperature range if applicable. Contractor shall select an independent evaluator to test the anti-tamper features of the prototype. Contractor shall deliver a prototype low-power electronics with energy harvesting, anti-tamper system and a report describing all activities in the project and technical specifications of the prototype system.
PHASE III: Department of Defense Directive (DOD) 5000.2R provides instructions on identifying critical technologies and on defining methods to protect them. Commercialization opportunities exist throughout the Defense Department. Commercialization potential exists with other agencies like the Department of Homeland Security. Commercial civilian markets include: secure internet commerce, electronic funds transfer, banking industries, electronic automatic teller machines (ATM), and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS) 140-2 [17] applications.
REFERENCES:
1. C. Saha, et al.: “Optimization of an Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting Device,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 42, No. 10, pp. 3509 – 3511, Oct. 2006.
2. F. Peano, and T. Tambosso: “Design and optimization of a MEMS electret-based capacitive energy scavenger,” IEEE Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 429 – 435, June 2005.
3. A. Kansal et al.: “Harvesting aware power management for sensor networks,” ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference, pp. 651 – 656, 24-28 July 2006.
4. L. Chao, C. Tsui, and W. Ki: “A Batteryless Vibration-based Energy Harvesting System for Ultra Low Power Ubiquitous Applications,” IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems, pp. 1349 – 1352, 27-30 May 2007.
5. M. Pereyma: “Overview of the Modern State of the Vibration Energy Harvesting Devices,” IEEE International Conference on Perspective Technologies and Methods in MEMS Design, pp. 107 – 112, 23-26 May 2007.
6. J. Granstrom, et al.: “Energy harvesting from a backpack instrumented with piezoelectric shoulder straps,” Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 16, pp. 1810-1820, 2007.
7. R. Kaushik, S. Prasad: “Low Voltage CMOS VLSI Circuit Design,” Wiley, 1999, ISBN: 047111488X.
8. N. Maluf and K. Williams: “Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems Engineering,” Artech House, ISBN: 1580535909.
9. S. Mikami: “A Wireless-Interface SoC Powered by Energy Harvesting for Short-range Data Communication,” IEEE Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 241 – 244, Nov. 2005.
10. V. Raghunathan, and P. Chou: “Design and Power Management of Energy Harvesting Embedded Systems,” IEEE International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design, pp. 369 – 374, 4-6 Oct. 2006.
11. P. Patel-Predd: “Turning Waste Heat into Power,” MIT Technology Review, 14 January 2008. http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20057/.
12. DOT: “Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment,” Office of Planning and Environment Federal Transit Administration, Report # FTA-VA-90-1003-06, May 2006. http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/ FTA_Noise_and_Vibration_Manual.pdf.
13. A. Rubertone: “Transportation and Packaging Techniques to Improve Realiability,” IRE Transactions on Product Engineering and Production, Vol. 5, Issue 1, pp. 45-52, Apr 1961.
14. NATO: STANAG-4242 “Vibration Tests Method and Severities for Munitions Carried in Tracked Vehicles.”
15. A. J. Hotchkliss, et al: “Measurement of Engine Speed By the Analysis of Vibration,” SAE Document # 960714, Feb. 1996.
16. L. Guangpu, et al.: “Analysis of Noise Characteristics for Diesel Engine,” IEEE International Conference on Information Acquisition, pp. 1390 – 1394, 20-23 Aug. 2006.
17. NIST: “Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules,” Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 140-2, December 2002. (http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips140-2/fips1402.pdf).
KEYWORDS: Low power, energy harvesting, volume protection, sensors, anti-tamper, AT, micro-electromechanical systems, MEMS.
A08-035 TITLE: High Aspect Ratio EMI Grid Application Technique
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop high aspect ratio grid lines application technique utilizing a stamping process.
DESCRIPTION: There is a need to significantly reduce the cost of applying an electro-magnetic interference (EMI) grid to a deep concave surface of a missile dome. One recent effort in this area was a soft lithography technique but this technique had a problem of achieving a line thickness that would meet the ohms per square requirement. Another approach utilized direct laser writing which did not appear to be able to provide the desired cost savings. This effort is to develop methods of applying a high enough aspect ratio thin fine grid line (a 1 mil line width with a 15 mil rectangular pattern) to deep concave surfaces that will achieve 1 ohm per square resistivity.
PHASE I: Develop and demonstrate a low cost method of applying a thick grid to a 150o, 7 inch diameter hemispherical dome. Initial demonstration of the proposed grid application method should be done on a flat surface in a manner that will allow the measurement / evaluation of the grid resistance.
PHASE II: Refine the developed method so that it is becomes cost effective and is capable of consistently replicating the grid. Demonstrate the process, through the production of 20 samples that will be provided to the Government for evaluation for consistency. Target production rate is 10,000 domes per year.
PHASE III: A number of new missile sensor systems desire/require EMI protection. Additionally this type of grid application can be used for EMI shielding optically-based security systems (e.g. security cameras near airport ATR installations). Other application could include the reduction of radar cross sections, anti-icing for windows and/or surveillance domes as well as other types of optical diffusion grids. The development of an affordable electro-magnetic interference (EMI) grid application process will greatly improve the affordability for future grid/pattern application requirements.
REFERENCES:
1. Harris, Dan, "Material for Infrared Windows and Domes," ISBN 0-8194-3482-5, SPIE Press, 1999.
2. Kirsch, James C, et al, Tri-Mode Seeker Dome Considerations, Window & Dome Technologies and Materials IX, Proceedings of the SPIE, Orlando, FL March 2005. Preprints will be available upon request.
KEYWORDS: EMI grid, optical ceramics, aluminum oxynitirde, spinel, process improvement, manufacturing technology.
A08-036 TITLE: Novel Energetic Polymers
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To explore new polymers based on environmentally friendly elements namely carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, that incorporate known and new energetic functional groups. These new polymers will exhibit desirable physical properties of flexibility, non crystallinity, yet be robust to air, water, and mechanical stresses, and be insensitive to mechanical stimuli such as impact, friction and electrostatic discharge.
DESCRIPTION: The Army is spending considerable efforts in developing insensitive missiles and munitions which are also environmentally friendly. Many systems are based on poly unsaturated hydrocarbon systems which are end capped with functional groups which are further chemically reacted with known cross linkers such as isocyanates to form large, tough yet flexible networks. These systems are physically and chemically robust, yet flexible and strong, and age well. However, they are energy poor and suffer from low densities and often are not chemically compatible with certain chemical compounds. It would be highly desirable to find new polymerizable oligomers having desirable energetic functionalities which incorporate known and/or novel endothermic and/or oxidizing groups which improve the energy content anf density (p >1.25 g/cm3) of the final polymer, yet make a robust, tough, flexible and safe polymer. The purpose of this topic is to find new energy rich and robust oligomers which may be polymerized for several DoD and industrial applications.
PHASE I: Identify, synthesize, and characterize gram quantities of reasonable pure oligomers with desirable energetic functional groups that increase density (p > 1.25 g/cm3) and/or endothermicity and/or oxygen balance. These polymers can be generated using known or novel polymerization routes to products having average MW > 3000 a.w.u. based only on carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. These polmers will be end terminated with chemical functionalities that can be further cross-linked with known or novel chemical agents to form larger polmeric products which demonstrate viable polymeric end products. Supply 10 gram quantity of promising polymer to appropriate US Government Laboratory.
PHASE II: Develop environmentally friendly and cost effective routes to produce pound quantities of promising polymers having desirable narrow molecular weight regimes. These polymers shall exhibit thermal and chemical stabilities to air and water, and have purities that are relatively free of low molecular weight polymers having M.W. <1000 a.w.u. Investigate the chemical and physical properties of selected promising polymers which are further crosslinked using known or novel chemistries to build large robust polymeric networks. Deliver 1 pound quantities of selected promising polymers to appropriate US Government laboratory.
PHASE III: Develop environmentally friendly and cost effective routes to produce pound quantities of promising polymers having desirable narrow molecular weight regimes. These polymers shall exhibit thermal and chemical stabilities to air and water, and have purities that are relatively free of low molecular weight polymers having M.W. <1000 a.w.u. Investigate the chemical and physical properties of selected promising polymers which are further crosslinked using known or novel chemistries to build large robust polymeric networks. Deliver 1 pound quantities of selected promising polymers to appropriate US Government laboratory.
REFERENCES:
1. Tadeuz Urbanski Chemistry and Technology of Explosives Volumes 1-4, Oxford England, Pergamon Press 1965.
2. R. Reed U.S. Patent # 6,103,029 "Triazole cross-linked Polymers" Aug. 15, 2000.
3. T. Highsmith, A. Sanderson, L. Cannizzo, R. Hajik U.S. Patent #6,362,311 "Polymerization of poly(glycidyl nitrate) from high purity glycidyl nitrate synthesized from glycerol" March 26, 2002.
4. W. Lawrence, W. Gilligan U.S. Patent # 5,668,240 "Energetic Nitro Polymer" Sept. 16, 1997.
5. M. Frankel, N. Ogimachi U.S. Patent # 4,092,336 "Dinitrocyanoalkyl Epoxides" May 30, 1978.
KEYWORDS: Energetic Materials, Novel Polymers, functional groups, environmentally friendly manufacturing process.
A08-037 TITLE: Low Cost Production of Domes Using Freeze Casting or Similar Technology
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a low cost, high purity, process for the fabrication of green bodies for domes and windows using freeze casting or similar technology.
DESCRIPTION: The most common methods of fabricating spinel and aluminum oxynitride (ALON) dome green bodies consist of preparing the ceramic powder using conventional powder preparation technologies, and forming the green body by filling a mold with powder and using cold isostatic pressing (CIP) to make it into a green ceramic body. This method is time consuming due to the handling of the powder and mold filling, and expensive due to the cost of CIP equipment, touch labor handling time and total cycle time. Some recent developments in the manufacturing of highly transparent spinel parts, based on the use of low cost freeze casting technology, have shown that high purity near-net-shape green body preforms may be a viable alternative. This casting technology appears to offer some advantages over the standard ceramic powder approach. This effort will evaluate the requirements for moving the freeze casting or similar technology from the laboratory to manufacturing. The approach must be capable of consistently making a full hemispherical sintered domes of at least 7” in diameter that will exhibit, at a minimum, 84% transmission at 4.5 microns, 80% transmission at 0.7 microns, have a thickness of 0.180 inches and a refractive index homogeneity better than 100-ppm over a 160 degree aperture.
PHASE I: Develop and demonstrate low cost freeze casting or similar approach to make a spinel or ALON sintered body 7” dome (7” diameter hemisphere, 160 degree aperture) that will exhibit, at a minimum, 84% transmission at 4.5 microns, 80% transmission at 0.7 microns, have a thickness of 0.180 inches. The developed technique will then be the foundation used to demonstrate this fabrication technology. At a minimum 5 2 inch diameter 1/8 inch thick samples of material made by the proposed process shall be provided to the Government for evaluation.
PHASE II: Refine the developed process and scale it up to consistently produce spinel or ALON domes that meet the above requirements. The refined process will be used to make at least 10 prototype transparent spinel domes, to be provided to the Army for evaluation, to demonstrate the consistency of the process. A complete optimized process flow from precursor materials to deliverable sintered domes will be completed during Phase II. Production cost estimates will also be developed. The demonstrated process should be capable of making 10,000 per year when capitalized.
PHASE III: There is an ever increasing need for low cost domes that have the characteristics of the spinel and ALON domes. Full scale manufacturing demonstration of manufacturing process documented during the Phase II effort will be applied during Phase III. Process steps which apply to monolithic domes will be identified. Spinel is a leading candidate dome material for both the Army Joint Air to Ground Missile and the Air Force Small Diameter Bomb II. In addition, spinel is a material used for lenses and windows in reconnaissance and targeting pods.
REFERENCES:
1. Daniel C. Harris, "Materials for infrared windows and domes : Properties and performance", Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, Bellingham, August 1999.
2. James C. Kirsch, William R. Lindberg, Daniel C. Harris, Michael J. Adcock, Tom P. Li, Earle A. Welsh, and Rick D. Akins, "Tri-mode seeker dome considerations", Proc. SPIE Vol. 5786, p. 33-40, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials IX; Randal W. Tustison; Ed.
3. K. Araki, and J. Halloran, “Ceramic Freeze Casting Technique with Sublimable Vehicles”, 105th Annual Meeting of the ACerS, Apr. 29, 2003.
4. Z.S. Rak, “Advanced Forming Techniques in Ceramics”, Polish Ceramics 2000 Conference, Spala May 29-31, 2000, ECN-RX-00-003.
KEYWORDS: Freeze casting, spinel, optical ceramics, process improvement, manufacturing technology.
A08-038 TITLE: Vision Based Adjunct Navigation Technologies
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop a design for a vision based navigation (VBN) system that combines day/night imagery of terrain with a geospatial database. The VBN will provide an independent day or night navigation solution to Army missile and aviation platforms if global positioning system (GPS) data is denied. A prototype of the imaging system will be built. This prototype will be tested with appropriate geospatial databases in the AMRDEC image signal processing laboratory.
DESCRIPTION: Develop a vision based navigation (VBN) system. The design developed will provide imagery from multiple camera heads that can be correlated with appropriate optic flow algorithms and a terrain image database to develop an independent navigation solution. The capability is proposed to enhance or serve as a backup to the flight vehicles motion estimation devices, i.e. the inertial measurement unit (IMU) and Global Positioning System (GPS). The VBN would provide crucial geo-location data when GPS navigation data is not available. Loss of GPS could occur due to being jammed or to operation in terrain or urban environments that obstruct the signal. The VBN system will operate under either day or night conditions. The overarching design goals are that the VBN must fit into a missile body and operate at velocities up to 200 m/s and at altitudes from 100 to 500 meters. The design should consider technologies that would support these goals and are tactically viable in a missile flight environment. This technology can also be useful to commercial automotive, robotics and aircraft industries.
PHASE I: Conduct trade studies to delineate the system requirements that will achieve the design goals. Develop a VBN design that meets the system requirements. Identify technology status and timelines for development. Develop a detailed design to build a prototype VBN system. Develop a detailed plan for testing and integrating the system to include future captive flight testing on a helicopter platform. Develop a test configuration design that enables correlation and comparison of the VBN images with a geospatial database and correlate to determine GPS location.
PHASE II: Fabricate the VBN imaging system prototype. Measure the system performance under laboratory conditions. Collect data over Government approved terrain site. Support the integration and test of the hardware and collected data within the AMRDEC image signal processing laboratory either on a test platform or in the image signal processor laboratory. Document the subsystem performance and potential to achieve system goals.
PHASE III: Develop, in coordination with the Government, a captive flight test plan. The plan would include helicopter captive flight testing. The plan should also include aircraft flying trajectories that would emulate a missile environment. Market the prototype to commercial industry for cars, personal robotics, and aircraft industry.
REFERENCES:
1. Image-based navigation in real environments using panoramas, Bradley, D.;Brunton, A.; Fiala, M.; Roth, G.; Haptic Audio Visual Environments and their Applications, 2005. IEEE International Workshop on 1-2 Oct. 2005 Page(s):3 pp.
2. High Altitude Navigation with Passive Imaging Sensors, Ching-Fang Lin, Tasso Politopoulos, AIAA-94-3677-CP 3. Robot navigation using panoramic tracking, Pattern Recognition, Volume 37, Issue 11, November 2004, Pages 2195-2215, Mark Fiala and Anup Basu.
KEYWORDS: Vision based navigation, geospatial, terrain databases, night vision, missile environment.
A08-039 TITLE: Prognostics for the Full, Net-Centric, Plug and Fight Integration of Army Air and Missile
Defense Systems (AMD)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Materials/Processes, Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this SBIR topic is to develop a prognostics capability to a System of Systems that provides for the full, net centric, “Plug and Fight” integration of Army Air and Missile Defense (AMD) weapons. This prognostics capability will continuously evaluate the condition of, and predict impending faults and failures of electronic and mechanical components thus improving the availability, reliability, and supportability of the systems in which these components are used.
DESCRIPTION: The Army is in the process of developing a full, net centric, “Plug and Fight” integration of its Air and Missile Defense (AMD) systems. This proposed System of System (SoS) is comprised of Common Command and Control (C2), the common interface modules on elements (sensors and shooters), and the battle management network to integrate across common C2 and system elements. The existing AMD Command and Control (C2) command posts, operations centers and communications will become part of the proposed SoS common C2 configuration. The proposed SoS common C2 will provide organic communications assets to support voice and data link requirements to subordinate, lateral, and higher C2 nodes. The proposed project is currently titled the Integrated Air and Missile Defense System of Systems (IAMD SoS). A single IAMD SoS consists of command post, a network, and two “plug and fight” components and is referred to as ASoSC2. The ASoSC2 defines the boundaries for the minimum Engagement Package, with a higher level Task Force potentially consisting of several of these Engagement Packages integrated together. Current planning calls for the ASoSC2 to incorporate a continuous prognostics capability that evaluates the condition of, and predict impending faults and failures of electronic and mechanical components. The ASoSC2 shall provide prognostic state and system data on demand and unsolicited system impending failure alert indication. Preliminary ASoSC2 embedded prognostics requirements are to detect and report 30% of all potential mission critical aborts six hours or greater before occurrence.
The SBIR program will develop a capability to predict ASoSC2 failures prior to occurrence so the hardware may be repaired or replaced at a time and place of the user's choosing. Typical components to be included in the ASoSC2 are the following: GPFU (Gas Particulate Filtration Unit); ECU (Environmental Control Unit); Storage LAN(Local Area Network) Switch; CAU (Cab Access Unit); Displays (Work Station); Keyboard (Work Station); Processors (Work Stations); NAS (Network Accessible Storage); Processor LAN (Local Area Network) Switch; VME (Virtual Memory Extension); MCSU (Micro Central Switching Unit) Voice Switch; UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply); DTS (Digital Transmission System); KG 40 (COMSEC Radio)-HF; KG 40X (Radio)-HF; Mckay 8090 (Thales HF Transceivers); EPLRS (Enhanced Position Location Reporting System); FBCB2 (Force Battle Command Brigade and Below); BC (Battle Command) Server; Router/Switch; JTT (Joint Tactical Terminal) Receiver/Transmitter; RF Patch; DNVT ( Digital Non-secure Voice Terminal); DAGR (Defense Advanced GPS Receiver); L-Band BFT (Blue Force Tracking); SINCGARS Radios; KG-175 (TACLANE); Mark XII ADI (Mode 5A)- IFF (Identify Friend or Foe); WIN-T (Warfighter information network-Tactical Communication); MIDS (Multifunctional Information Distribution System) Radio.
An embedded ASoSC2 prognostics capability shall provide state and system data on demand and unsolicited system impending failure alert indications. An embedded ASoSC2 prognostics capability will improve mission reliability, allow for replacement in a more conducive environment, thus improving time to repair. Finally, An embedded ASoSC2 prognostics capability will allow for advance ordering and placement of repair resources (spare parts, tools, maintainers, etc) to reduce overall down time.
PHASE I: In phase I, the offeror shall identify specific research approaches for an embedded ASoSC2 prognostics capability utilizing notional predominant failure modes as determined by the offeror for ASoSC2 radar sensors components, particularly networking and communications.
Next, the offeror shall design an experiment that will provide the failure data, with statistical confidence, to fully characterize the notional failure mode(s) identified. This shall include a determination of the failure frequency's dependency on environmental conditions, including but not limited to: temperature, temperature cycling, and vibration.
Finally, the offeror shall outline the expected prognostics method:
- cumulative damage: predict a failure based upon the physics of failure and the accumulated stress (damage) induced by the environments.
- precursor to failure: predict a failure based upon a precursor to failure event; an event or measurable signal that is well correlated to an impending failure.
- canary: predict a failure using a canary method, which is the use of a similar HW items that will fail prior to the system of interest.
PHASE II: In phase II, the offeror will:
- Execute the designed experiment from phase I.
- Perform root cause analysis on the failures precipitated by the testing.
- Analyze the data for trend and regression via statistical means (of their choosing).
- Develop the mathematical failure model or algorithm to enable prognostics.
- Embed the failure model into a prototype system.
- Demonstrate the failure prediction capability via accelerated environmental testing.
The deliverables will include a full report of the characterization failure data, the statistical analysis, the failure model/algorithm for evaluation, and the verification data proving the system's accuracy and precision.
Additionally, any additional "training" required of the algorithms that would be required for transition shall be provided in the form of a design/test guide.
PHASE III: Phase III will include transition of embedded ASoSC2 prognostics technologies into the IAMD SoS Acquisition Strategy that will employ a “Best of Breed” product line through the key DOD Project lifecycle phases of development, fielding and sustainment. The end-state of this technology will include a stand alone embeded prognostics capability for the ASoSC2 portfolio of products. In many commercial sectors of the US economy such as transportation, communications, and manufacturing; prognostics technology promises optimization of lifecycle management through increased readiness, increased user confidence, as well as smaller logistics footprint and lower operation and support costs. The products of this SBIR have direct application for large sectors of US commercial/civil economy in addition to the military sector, and can provide these stated optimization benefits during Phase III technology transitions.
REFERENCES:
1. DoD Instruction 5000.2 - http://akss.dau.mil/DAG/DoD5002/DoD5002-3.9.2.asp#3.9.2.
2. G. Vachtsevanos, “Performance metrics for fault prognosis of complex systems,” in Proc. IEEE Aerospace Conf, 2003.
3. Vachtsevanos, G., “Performance metrics for fault prognosis of complex system”, In Proceedings of IEEE AUTOTESTCON on Systems Readiness, Sept. 2003.
4. N. Vichare and M. Pecht, “Prognostics and Health Management of Electronics”, in IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies, Vol. 29, No. 1, March 2006.
5. CALCE Prognostics and Health Management Consortium (PHMC) website, http://www.prognostics.umd.edu/.
6. Dynamic System Characterization of Enterprise Servers via Nonparametric Identification, Schuster, E., and Gross, K. C., Proceedings of the American Control Conference, vol. 4, pp. 2756-2761, June, 2005.
7. Proactive Fault Monitoring in Enterprise Servers, Whisnant, K., Gross, K., and N. Lingurovska, Proceedings of the IEEE International Multi-conference on Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Las Vegas, NV, Jun. 27-30, 2005.
8. www.impact-tek.com.
9. http://www.armysbir.com/.
KEYWORDS: Prognostics.
A08-040 TITLE: Accurate and Reliable Rocket Thruster Technology
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Space Platforms, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this topic is to develop and demonstrate the technology required to produce a highly accurate, repeatable, and reliable thruster for divert and attitude control applications that also meets Insensitive Munitions Requirements.
DESCRIPTION: The Army develops rocket thrusters for a variety of applications including radial thrust, divert, and attitude control. The latter two applications require rocket thrusters that are very accurate, repeatable, and reliable. The purpose of this topic is to develop the technology needed for a small thruster to have the accuracy, repeatability, and reliability for a generic but very demanding application. This generic thruster has a nominal thrust of 6000 N with a total impulse of 90 N•s. In addition to this generic thruster performance level, growth to larger thruster values by a factor of four is desirable. The three sigma impulse repeatability will be 1%. The ignition delay, which is defined as the time between the ignition signal and first thrust, should be no greater than 2.5 ms and have a 3 sigma repeatability within 5%. The action time, defined as the pulse length of the thruster, should nominally be 15 ms and have a 3 sigma repeatability of 15% for the generic thruster. The combustion chamber operating pressure should not exceed 70 MPa. The thruster volume including all thruster components can not exceed 90 cm3 and preferably is not constrained to only a cylindrical motor case configurtion. One thruster dimension can not exceed 2.54 cm. The nozzle will be at one end and perpendicular to the curved outer surface of the thruster. The Army is looking for creative and innovative approaches to the problem and is open to all potential solutions. Although performance is the key criteria, low cost is of secondary but significant importance.
PHASE I: A detailed preliminary design of the thruster will be developed in sufficient detail to establish the thruster predicted performance of thrust, total impulse, and delivered specific impulse, as well as system weight and volume. The design scope should fall into the parameter for flight-weight thrusters and will consider the strength of materials at expected temperatures and pressures. Data will be provided that supports the repeatability, accuracy, and reliability requirements described in the Description section above. There is a predicted estimate for 5,000 units a year. The preliminary design will include an evaluation of the thruster system for bullet and fragment impact, slow
and fast cook-off of the propellant, sympathetic detonation, and shaped charge jet Insensitive Munitions (IM) threats to predict which are of most concern.
PHASE II: A final design will be developed that includes consideration of IM threats. Sufficient thrusters will be built and tested to demonstrate the repeatability and reliability of the design. IM tests for the threats considered to be most important in Phase I will be performed (a minimum of two) to determine the thruster system response to these threats.
PHASE III: This technology will have large appeal with a variety of applications, especially when there is a requirement for a thruster to have precision, repeatability, and reliability to perform the required task. All Army’s missile platforms will benefit with improved accurate and reliable thrusters, even MDA will be interested for Divert and Attitude Control Systems (DACS) in their kill vehicles. Besides the DoD missile inventory requiring more and more accurate and reliable rocket thrusters, commercial markets will also be interested in this technology including automobile air bags, Homeland Security Coast Guard rescue rockets, and the new market for ballistic parachute deployment from aircraft.
REFERENCES:
1. George P. Sutton, “Rocked Propulsion Elements: an introduction to the engineering of rockets.” 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
2. Stanley F. Sarner, “Propellant Chemistry” Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, 1966.
3. Gabriel D. Roy (editor), “Advances in Chemical Propulsion,” CRC Press, New York, 2002.
4. DOD MIL-STD-2105C, “Hazard Assessment Tests for Non-nuclear Munitions,” 14 July 2003. (Insensitive Munitions Test Method Standard).
KEYWORDS: rocket thrusters, reliability, precision, repeatability, propulsion systems, Insensitive Mutions testing, thruster testing
A08-041 TITLE: Improved Field of Regard for Strap Down Semi Active Laser Seekers
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this topic is to investigate non-traditional methods for increasing the field of regard for a semi-active laser seeker while maintaining the same instantaneous field of view.
DESCRIPTION: Strap down seekers offer improved reliability, reduced weight, and lower cost over traditional gimbaled seekers. The disadvantage of the strap down seeker is its limited field of regard (FOR). The goal of this topic is to investigate non-traditional methods for increasing the field of regard while maintaining the same instantaneous field of view (IFOV). Optical scanning methods, such as rotating prisms or programmable diffraction gratings, are two of the possible solutions to this issue. This topic seeks innovative approaches to solving this problem that would provide the advantages of a strap down seeker listed above, while improving the field of regard. The benefit to the warfighter would be the enabling of a lighter weight, lower cost munition for both manned and unmanned platforms. The light weight munition would offer increased stowed kill capability or the same number of stowed kills with a reduced impact on time on station.
PHASE I: Phase I is intended to be a feasibility study that investigates various methods for increasing the field of regard of a strap down semi-active laser seeker (SAL). The study should include an analysis of possible options, their advantages and disadvantages and the relative costs and performance when compared to traditional gimbaled systems. Recommendations for the path to follow in Phase II should also be provided.
PHASE II: Phase II will focus on refining the design, developing a proof of principle demonstration, and building a prototype. The goal should be a seeker with approximately a 6-8 degree instantaneous field of view and a 40 degree field of regard. The Phase II should result in a prototype capable of side by side testing with a traditional gimbaled seeker.
PHASE III: Phase III would focus on optimizing the design for production and transitioning the technology to the Joint Attack Munitions Systems Progam Office. Transition opportunities would include future lightweight precision strike munitions such as those fired from Unmanned Aerial Systems and as well as potential future guided rockets. Cost and weight will be driving factors for these transition opportunities. Commercial applications will depend on the techniques used to achieve the increased field of regard. Some approaches would find applications within the commercial camera and camcorder markets. Scanning approaches could find applications in a variety of situations such as point of sale scanners and image projectors.
REFERENCES:
1. J. Barth, A. Fendt, R. Florian, et al., "Dual-mode seeker with imaging sensor and semi-active laser detector," Proceedings of the SPIE Volume 6542 (2007).
2. J. English, R. White, "Semi-active laser (SAL) last pulse logic infrared imaging seeker," Proceedings of the SPIE Volume 4372 (2001).
3. Additional Information
3.1.Definition of terms:
Semi Active Laser Seekers refers to a class of missile seekers that track the
returned energy from a target illuminated with a laser designator. The
designator is not part of the missile itself.
Field of View, for this application, refers to the instantaneous field of view of the optics in the seeker.
Field of Regard refers to the total area which could be scanned by the seeker.
Using the human eye as an example, the field of view is what you can see without moving your eye. Field of Regard is the total area you can scan by moving your eye around.
3.2. The original topic statement specified a narrow instantaneous field of view with a wide field of regard. Applications have now been identified which could accept a wide instantaneous field of view. Proposed approaches that address this application will also be considered under this SBIR.
3.3. A field of regard larger than 40 degrees is acceptable.
3.4. Laser designator pulse modulation schemes are used to ensure the seeker tracks the correct target. Proposed approaches should be compatible with existing laser pulse coding schemes.
3.5. The desired package size for the detector, optics, and electronics (excluding the dome area) is 70 mm in diameter and 2.5" in length.
KEYWORDS: Semi-active laser, strap down seeker, optical scanning, manufacturing cost.
A08-042 TITLE: Novel Structural Reactive Materials
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Missiles and Space
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Design new formulations for novel structural reactive materials, demonstrate the process to produce them, and demonstrate their effectiveness in multipurpose Army warheads. The multifunctional material should combine good mechanical properties to carry load with highly reactive properties to enhance the Army’s munitions lethality upon target impact.
DESCRIPTION: Most of the mass and volume of current munitions is not directly related to the energy released at the targets, but to other functions such as load-bearing (structural members, payload casing) or fragment formation (bomb casing). If some of these other functions can be performed by a reactive material, the total energy delivered by a given munition could be increased, and/or the munition size could be reduced. Exothermic reactions between a metal and a metal oxide (thermite) and between metallic elements (intermetallic), as well as the combustion of metals (metal oxidation reactions) are extremely useful sources of energy production. Numerous energetic formulations exist. These formulations can be ignited via a thermal impulse as well as by laser impingement, mechanical methods or shock initiation. The challenge is to design a formulation that can be consolidated into a fully dense composite with good mechanical properties for load bearing capacity while it is still energetic and able to generate an exothermic reaction and release significant energy upon target impact. The technology will be judged successful if a fully dense composite has density greater than 7 grams/cc, with a reaction temperature greater than 2000K and chemical energy release greater than 2000 cal/g, and having a tensile and compresive strength in excess of 300MPa.
Therefore, Phase I will be judged successful by making a fully dense composite which meets the requirements for density, and reactive and mechanical properties stated above. The process should allow for tailoring of the reactive and mechanical properties by adjustment in the powder blend formulation. In Phase II, optimization will be aimed at adjusting the powder formulation and process to meet the reactive and mechanical properties for selected applications to the Army. For example, an increase in the amount of binder may reduce the strength, but increase the ductility of the composite. In addition, blending may be selected in Phase I to prove the feasibility of the concept. Energetic milling may be selected in Phase II to achieve improvements in microstructure uniformity and, thus, in mechanical properties and potentially in reaction initiation. Additionally, it is believed that a nano-scale microstructure will enhance the reliability of the reaction initiation and its sustainment to completion. As such, techniques that use nano or nano-grained powders and consolidation techniques that can be used to preserve the microstructure of the starting powder and achieve a nano-structured reactive composite, are of special interest.
Warhead cases fabricated from reactive composites can throw fragments that can ignite upon target impact and release enormous energy and cause catastrophic damage, unlike conventional metal warhead fragments that can only penetrate the target.
PHASE I: Design a formulation for a reactive structural material and develop the process to produce a fully dense composite. Fabricate small specimens, and characterize the mechanical and reactive properties of the composite to demonstrate process feasibility.
PHASE II: Optimize product formulation, and demonstrate the process for nano-structured composites. Develop and demonstrate a prototype capability for production of components for sub-scale prototype weapon effects and lethality tests at ARDEC. Conduct prototype tests to characterize the initiation and energy release processes, and measure the reaction initiation thresholds and energy release rates.
PHASE III: The material developed under this effort will have dual use applications in military as well as commercial applications. The material can be inserted/transitioned into several Army hardware programs for weapon development efforts. Commercial potential is possible in petroleum exploration and oil well stimulation, mining, commercial blasting, high temperature synthesis of new materials and law enforcement applications.
REFERENCES:
1. Fischer, S. H., and Grubelich, M. C., “A Survey of Combustible Metals, Thermites, and Intermetallics for Pyrotechnic Applications,” presented at the 32nd AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference, 1996. Referemce obtainable from DTIC.
2. Fedoroff, B. T. and Sheffield, O. E., Encyclopedia of Explosives and Related Items, Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, NJ, Report No. PATR-2700, Vol. III, p. C611-C621, 1966, CPIA Abstract No. 68-0238, AD 653 029.
3. Waggener, S.S., "Energy Release of Impacting Reactive Spheres", Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Technical Report TR-04/9, September, 2004.
4. Ames, R.G. and Waggener, S.S., "Reaction Efficiencies for Impact-Initiated Energetic Materials", 32nd International Pyrotechnics Seminar, June, 2005, Karlsruhe, Germany.
KEYWORDS: Reactive materials, structural materials, powder consolidation, nano-structured composite, thermite, intermetallic.
A08-043 TITLE: High Voltage, High Current, Solid State Switches
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
OBJECTIVE: To develop a compact, solid state switch capable of switching high voltages (20-200kV) and currents (I>5kA), with short transient times and low internal resistance. Switch shall survive high frequency cycling (>100kHz)for brief periods and function after gun launch.
DESCRIPTION: This topic is designed to examine the current state-of-the-art in solid state switches and develop a design that goes beyond today's capabilities. Vacuum based technology that is currently available, such as spark gaps, is large and requires extensive peripheral equipment such as gas handling equipment, pumps and extensive electronics and/or triggering circuits. Reliable, compact, solid state, pulsed power switches can offer a significant improvement to vacuum based technology. These switches can be an enabling technology for defense applications that use power modulators for high peak power electrical systems. Compact, high speed opening and closing switches could reduce the size and weight and improve the reliability of pulse power modulators and pulse forming networks. The objective size is to occupy 2 cubic inches volume. In addition the switch design shall be capable of operating within an extended industrial temperature range (-50 deg C to +125 deg C), withstanding long term storage (greater than 5 years)and withstanding a greater than 15,000G force environment. This effort should address technical challenges in materials development to improve performance, as well as, device design for compact size and weight, long lifetime, fast turn on or turn off time, high-efficiency triggering, and packaging.
PHASE I: Evaluate candidate materials, processes, and designs for novel/enhanced solid state switches. Produce a conceptual design and bread board it with representative hardware. Test intial switch design for feasibility.
PHASE II: Characterize the breadboard switch performance. Develop, fabricate and demonstrate a prototype which is robust, scaled, and meets criteria as specified herein.
PHASE III: Military applications may include modulators for high peak electrical systems such as directed energy systems and pulsed power systems. Commercial applications may include
solid state pulsed power systems for food and wastewater processing.
REFERENCES:
1. S. C. Glidden and H. D. Sanders, “Solid State Spark Gap Replacement Switches,” 2005 IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Monterrey, CA, June 2005.
2. M. Akemoto., KEK, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, K. Aoki, Y. Yokoyama, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, N. Shimizu, NGK Insulators, Nagoya, Japan, “Development Of A Solid-State Switch For Klystron Pulse Modulators”, Proceedings of LINAC2002, Gyeongju, Korea.
3. http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=5472218. Portnoy, W. M., Kristiansen, M., “Workshop on solid state switches for pulsed power”, Texas Tech University Workshop, Tamarron, Colorado, January 12-14, 1983.
4. http://www.emlsymposium.org/13th_papers/docs/EML179.pdf, Heather O’Brien, William Shaheen, Richard L. Thomas, Jr., Timothy Crowley, Stephen B. Bayne, Charles J. Scozzie, “Evaluation of Advanced Si and SiC Switching Components for Army Pulsed Power Applications”.
KEYWORDS: Solid state switch, pulse power switch, pulse power modulator, pulsed power.
A08-044 TITLE: Innovative Tantalum Machining for Weapon Applications
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
OBJECTIVE: The Weapons Systems & Technology (WS&T) Directorate of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) is seeking to identify, develop, and demonstrate innovative machining processes for the rifling of explosively bonded Ta-10W (Tantalum-10% Tungsten) liners on medium caliber gun barrels.
DESCRIPTION: Explosive bonding is a cold welding process that has proved to be a viable alternative for depositing refractory metal liners on the inside of medium caliber gun barrels. Specifically, the Army has successfully cladded a Ta-10W (Tantalum – 10% Tungsten) liner onto the inside of truncated of 25mm M242 Bushmaster barrels. This novel technology has demonstrated to produce an extremely strong bond, environmentally friendly coating with the potential to eliminate the generation of hazardous waste that results from the current chrome electrodeposition process. In addition, coatings like Ta-10W are very desirable due to their high melting temperature. The service life of the Bradley medium caliber barrel (25mm), firing first generation XM919 was only 229 rounds.
Medium caliber gun barrels are rifled and thus an explosively bonded liner must then be machined (rifled) after cladding. While the explosive cladding of Ta-10W liners onto medium caliber gun barrels has significant promise, there remains the challenge to machine the liner after the explosive cladding has taken place. Little information, in terms of tooling, broach configuration, cutter design, speed and feed rates, lubricants, etc… exist on Ta-10W. Work under this research shall evaluate and determine viable machining processes for the cost-effective rifling of explosively bonded Ta-10W liners. Efforts under this initiative should also evaluate the configuration of the pre-bonded substrate and demonstrate a technically sound and cost effective rifling process that would maintain the necessary configuration of both 25mm and 30mm medium caliber gun barrels. Specifically, machining parameters such as proper broach tooling configuration, tool coating, lubricant, speed and feed rates shall be determined.
PHASE I: To identify and evaluate technically sound and cost effective alternatives for the machining of explosively bonded Ta-10W on a 12 inch truncated 25mm barrel section. The proper broach tooling configuration, tool coating, lubricant, speed and feed rates shall be determined. At least four separate 12 inch truncated barrels cladded with Ta-10W shall be successfully rifled with a rifling profile to match the 25mm Bushmaster barrel. From these tests – the correct tooling design, tool coating, lubricant to use, speed and feed rates of the broach shall all be determined to successfully rifle a 12 inch truncated 25mm Bushmaster barrel.
PHASE II: After the successful rifling of 12inch truncated 25mm Bushmaster barrels – Phase II shall rifle two full-length 25mm Bushmaster barrels. The rifling profile shall match the 25mm Bushmaster barrel progressive twist rifling profile. From these tests - correct tooling design, tool coating, lubricant to use, speed and feed rates of the broach shall all be determined to successfully rifle a full-length 25mm Bushmaster gun barrel. The barrel will be test fired to see how the Ta-10W liner , with rifling, stood up. The results will be compared to a chromium-plated 25mm Bushmaster barrel.
PHASE III: After successful rifling of a full-length 25mm Bushmaster barrel, the work will be continued on a full-length 30 mm MK44 barrel (Infantry Combat Vehicle). Phase III shall rifle a full-length 30mm MK44 barrel. The rifling profile shall match the 30mm MK44 barrel. From these tests, correct tooling design, tool coating, lubricant to use, speed and feed rates of the broach shall all be determined to successfully rifle a full-length 30mm Mk44 gun barrel. The barrel will be test fired to see how the Ta-10W liner, with rifling, stood up.
REFERENCES:
1. Specific weapon systems users that will benefit: 20mm 3-Barrel Gatling Gun (Super Cobra Helicopter), 25mm M242 Bushmaster, 27mm BK47 Mauser (Joint Stryker Fighter Aircraft), and 30mm Bushmaster II (Adv Amph Assault Veh).
2. Mulligan, C., M. Audino, P. Cote, G. Kendall, C. Rickard, S. Smith, and M. Todaro, “Characterization of Explosively Bonded and Fired Tantalum Liners Applied to 25-mm Gun Tubes,” Benet Laboratory Technical Report ARCCB-TR-02016, November 2002.
3. Pepi, Marc, Daniel J.Snoha, Jonathan S. Montgomery, and William S. de Rosset, “Examination of Intermetallic Phases and Residual Stress Resulting from Explosive Bonding of Refractory Metal Gun Tube Liners,” ARL MR 550, February 2003.
4. Furnish, M.D., D.H. Lassila, L.C. Chhabildas, and D.J. Steinberg, “Dynamic Material Properties of Refractory Metals: Tantalum and Tantalum/Tungsten Alloys,” in Shock Compression of Matter – 1995, ed. by S.C. Schmidt and W.C.Tao, AIP Press, Woodbury, New York, 1995.
5. Glyman, J, “The Explosive Bonding of 90 Tantalum – 10 Tungsten to AISI 4340”, Rocketdyne Research Report 63-6, 1963, Rocketdyne.
KEYWORDS: Explosive Bonding, Tantalum, Tungsten, Ta-10W, cladding, medium caliber.
A08-045 TITLE: Reusable and Adaptable Cognitive Decision Aids Components For Remote Weapon
Stations
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop real time cognitive decision aiding, visualization and natural Man Machine Interface (MMI) technologies to enhance the operator performance, survivability and sustainability of next generation remote weapon stations and armed robotic systems that will be integral to the network centric Future Force. Demonstrate capability to fully integrate muti-source platform sensor/intelligence data and provide mission focused view of battlespace with predictive course-of-action and mission rehearsal capability.
DESCRIPTION: Advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, information processing, intelligent controls, distributed processing and software engineering technologies now make possible the automation and intelligent aiding of many labor and time intensive tasks associated with remote weapon station and armed robotics system control and coordination required for time critical targeting and network centric effects based operations. Current controller technology has limited networking, visualization, decision aiding or map based collaboration capabilities, are not extensible and do not conform to open system standards. Futher research is required to provide highly modular, muti-functional and scalable architectures and a baseline component repository of cognitive decision aiding and remote weapon station/Unmanned System (UMS) components that can be rapidly configured to meet a broad range of armed, muti-platform robotic control and remote weapon station control requirements to include rapid mission plan generation across multiple platforms, real time plan monitoring and synchronization, automated battle drill and tactical behaviors and provide appropriate alerts and alarms based on multi-source sensor/intelligence data to enhance platform self awareness and self protection capability. Implementation architectures must conform to emerging weapon system Technical Architecture and distributed object computing standards. Proposals may address development of one or more reusable decision aid application components with the goal of achieving a 50% reduction in cognitive work load and operator response time compared to an unaided mode of operation.
PHASE I: Develop algorithm approach and architecture design concept and formulate preliminary development and implementation approach. Develop top level hardware/software (hw/sw) architecture specification and demo concept feasibility.
PHASE II: Development and demonstrate a functional prototype decision aid component(s) and operator interface in a realistic simulation scenario. Demonstrate component adaptability and reusability by addressing a minimum of two application scenarios, e.g. small unmanned areial vehicle/small unmanned ground vehicle (SUAV/SUGV)collaborative search & target engagement, SUAV/SUAV collaborative search & target engagement, SUGV/SUGV collaborative search and target engagement.
PHASE III: The end state of this effort will be reusable/reconfigurable controller/platform component technology that can be readily customized to meet varying mission requirements and inserted into user experiments. Expected transition path will be enhancements to Future Force Warrior Small Unit Lethality and Manned/unmanned teaming capabilities and follow-on transition to PEO Soldier and FCS.
REFERENCES:
1. Consensus and Cooperation in Networked Multi-Agent Systems. Proceedings of the IEEE, 95(1), 2007.
2. New Generation of Rapid flight Test Prototyping System for SUAV. Proceeding of AIAA Modelling and Simulation Technologoes Conf. 2007.
3. Cronin, T. (1995). Automated Reasoning with Contour Maps. Computers & Geosciences, vol. 21, no. 5.
4. Sapounas, D., Kreitzberg, T., & Johnson, M.L. (1997). Terrain Trafficability Modeling. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Homepage, Pasadena, CA.
KEYWORDS: Mission planning, decision aids, multi-agent control, open architecture, software reuse.
A08-046 TITLE: Novel Efficient and Compact Diode-pumped Rod Gain Modules for Ultra Short Pulsed
(USP) Lasers
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics, Weapons
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
OBJECTIVE: Develop a diode-pumped rod amplifier head for Ultra-Short Pulse (USP) Yb: YAG lasers that is compatible with a chirped pulse amplifier (CPA) chain.
DESCRIPTION: Lasers based upon rod architectures offer a simple and rugged method for amplifying an Ultra-short duration laser pulse at moderate powers (250-500W average power output.) When paired with a chirped pulse amplifier chain, greater system flexibility and capabilities are realized. However, there is significant technical challenge when combining the two techniques in high rep rate operations. This effort will require the proposer to demonstrate intimate knowledge of the design and operation of diode-pumped rod amplifiers and of CPA systems, as well as innovative design and/or materials solutions to integrate the two.
Candidate solutions may include, but are not limited to, material solutions and the corresponding manufacturing methods. As the application for this technology is sensitive and constantly evolving, there should be little correlation between the gain media proposed and any intended application outside the USP laser itself. Should the effort progress to Phase II, further application information and/or system specifications will be provided to facilitate the construction of prototype gain modules.
PHASE I: Conceptually develop a diode-pumped rod amplifier head for Ultra-Short Pulse (USP) Yb: YAG lasers that is compatible with a chirped pulse amplifier chain.
Either of two approaches will be considered:
1. Design a module capable of taking an ultrashort pulse from an oscillator (external to the module) and performing the chirped pulse amplification via an incorporated diode-pumped rod amplifier, or
2. Design a diode pumped rod amplifier that is “plug and play” compatible with conventional CPA chains.
Specific technological challenges and associated metrics are:
1. Threshold for amplification efficiency is 25% with an objective of 35%.
2. Module will be able to produce USP output at a threshold rate of 20 Hz with an objective of 100 Hz (or more) with no statistically significant lose in output power.
Present candidate technologies/designs during Phase I and the expected performance characteristics obtained via modeling, simulation or mathematical methods to facilitate a decision for Phase II prototype construction.
PHASE II: Develop the Phase I resultant technology with systems integration input from ARDEC. Verify the proposed design in a bread-board demonstrator, validate results obtained from Phase I and early Phase II modeling, and ultimately construct sample amplifier module and integrate into a functional USP laser, and document experimental results.
Provide prototype hardware, technical data package and complete informational briefing to ARDEC.
PHASE III: In addition to serving the sensitive DoD and Army applications through ARDEC ATO-D.ARD.2008.03/Multimode HPM and Laser Induced Plasma Channel Technology, potential commercial applications include medical lasers, materials processing, or semiconductor processing. Such technology would increase the scope of these and other commercial applications by reducing the overall cost and size of the laser systems, as well as providing enhanced efficiencies and operational rates.
REFERENCES:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_laser.
2. http://www.lasermarking.trumpf.com/152.diodengepumpt.html.
3. http://www.llnl.gov/tid/lof/documents/pdf/236625.pdf.
KEYWORDS: Diode, pumped, solid, state, rod.
A08-047 TITLE: Edge-pumped Composites for Ultra-Short Pulse (USP) Lasers
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Develop edge pumped laser gain media that have uniform transverse pump absorption distributions while maintaining good optical beam quality and high laser efficiency at the kW average output power level.
DESCRIPTION: Current efforts utilizing solid state Ultra-Short Pulse (USP) Lasers have identified edge pumped lasers as a technology with the potential to greatly increase the performance of candidate systems. One of the critical components of edge pumped lasers is the gain media. In order to meet Army objectives, novel gain media design is required to ensure uniform absorption while maintaining beam quality and laser efficiency. This solicitation seeks “leap ahead” concepts for gain media materials, processing, geometry and/or finishing, pushing the leading edge of conventional gain media beyond the current capability. Please note, this solicitation refers to “slab” or “thin-disk” type bulk lasers, as opposed to rod lasers which are addressed in another solicitation. This solicitation is concerned with the edge pumping of this particular geometry, not face pumping.
Candidate solutions may include, but are not limited to, material solutions and the corresponding manufacturing methods. As the application for this technology is sensitive, there should be little correlation between the gain media proposed and any intended application outside the USP laser itself. Technologies that address multiple wavelengths of operation are desired, however, the scaling and/or modification of the proposed solution for application to other wavelengths should be discussed if selecting a candidate wavelength.
PHASE I: Design edge pumped laser gain media that have uniform transverse pump absorption distributions while maintaining good optical beam quality (within 5% of diffraction limit) and high laser efficiency (greater than 40%) at the kW average output power level.
In addition to the above mentioned key performance parameters, Phase I should also address the following challenges: thermal management and related thermal lensing, susceptibility to amplified spontaneous emission, and methods used to reduce and/or eliminate spatial hole burning.
Present candidate technologies during Phase I and the expected performance characteristics obtained via modeling, simulation or mathematical methods to facilitate a decision for Phase II prototype construction.
PHASE II: Develop the Phase I resultant technology with systems integration input from ARDEC. Validate Phase I performance characteristics by constructing sample gain material, integrate gain material into a functional edge pumped laser, and document experimental results. Iteratively continue the investigation until threshold values are satisfied. Experimentally determine the upper limits of operational capability.
Provide prototype hardware, technical data package and complete informational briefing to ARDEC.
PHASE III: In addition to serving the sensitive DoD and Army applications through ARDEC ATO-D.ARD.2008.03/Multimode HPM and Laser Induced Plasma Channel Technology, potential commercial applications include forensics, spectroscopy, laser ablation and molecular level materials processing. Other potential Phase III military interest includes Terahertz imaging and LIDAR detecting and ranging.
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.dmphotonics.com/fs_filamentation.htm.
2. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mechanical/mrl/ntm/level3/ch02/html/l3c02s05.html.
3. http://info.tuwien.ac.at/tubiomed/de/aktuell/Wintner_Laser_Lecture_5p153.pdf.
KEYWORDS: Ultra short pulse, laser, edge, pumped.
A08-048 TITLE: Biologically Inspired Processor
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop, fabricate and demonstrate a computational processing network in which many fully programmable processing elements are interconnected in a fabric which dynamically, temporarily and automatically reconfigures itself based on the computational load and preprogrammed priorities.
DESCRIPTION: Considerable basic research has been ongoing in cognitive biological neural systems to determine how they function and attempt to simulate their functionality in integrated circuits and computer software. Such knowledge could be helpful to solve the problem of this solicitation. Practical applications have resulted in numerous artificial neural network (ANN) systems and inference engines that are both hardware (Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC)) based and software based implemented on one or more processors operating in parallel network. This solicitation is not for the R&D of ANN circuitry or inference engines.
In the recent years massive single chip fabrics with embedded processors and embedded memory units have been built. Data flow in some fabrics is reconfigurable. The flow of data and the algorithm across the fabric ultimately limits the practical throughput of any algorithm operating in the fabric. This solicitation is for the research and development of a smart fabric in which the fabric itself, while the embedded processors and memory units are humming away, processing information, determines the optimal current inter-connectivity required to keep bottle necks from forming in the data flow. Examples: the fabric may need to move the processing algorithm within the chip to alternative processors or redistribute the algorithm across multiple processors or change the connectivity of the data flow or create alternative and duplicate sub networks. Basically the fabric will need to preclude data and path conflicts, assure that data is valid and available when and where needed, optimize the execution of algorithms and prevent crashes of an algorithm, etc. all on the fly. Ideas such as keying on the local temperature within the chip, activity within a processor, and the milliamps flowing into chip sectors, and distance of an argument from the executing processor, etc., might be used by the fabric to make its decisions. Power consumption within the fabric must be kept as low as possible.
PHASE I: The contractor shall create one or more innovative and practical designs for a fabric that operates as in the description above. The contractor’s design shall be developed to the level to clearly establish the manufacturability of the fabric using current manufacturing methods. The contractor shall simulate the fabric’s functionality in the presence of processors embedded in the fabric and executing an algorithm that involves numerous processors operating simultaneously in parallel or/and in series and that requires timely data flow between the processors. The designs for the fabric, the simulation description process, and simulation results shall be delivered to the government.
PHASE II: The contractor shall complete a prototype design which includes the fabric with processors embedded to the level ready for foundry fabrication as a full up prototype. The design should have at least ten processors and one million bytes of memory along with several input output ports into the fabric. The full up prototype design shall be thoroughly evaluated through computer simulation of all components and their integrated whole to provide the highest level of confidence that the prototype will function as in the description above. The simulations shall include execution of multiple types of mathematical and logic algorithms that fully test the smart aspects of the fabric and processors. The detailed design for the processor, the simulation plan, the simulation software, a description of the simulation and simulation results shall be delivered to the government.
PHASE III: The technology will support many applications where computational requirements are severe while power consumption must be at the lowest possible level, such as in the Software Defined Radio, HyperSpectral Imaging, Battlefield logistics, Battlefield management, battle space awareness, etc. This solicitation might be used in support of the ATO R.IS.2008.04 - Soldier Sensor Component & Image Processing. Commercial applications should exist in complex electronic networks and their implementation,in cell phone networks, and for smart autonomous robots.
REFERENCES:
1. Thoma, Yann; Sanchez, Eduardo; Hetherington, Carl; Roggen, Daniel; Arostegui ,Juan-Manuel Moreno, "Prototyping with a bio-inspired reconfigurable chip," Proceedings of the 15th IEEE International Workshop on Rapid System Prototyping, 2004.
2. Tempesti, G.; Mudry, P.A.; Hoffmann, R., "A Move processor for bio-inspired systems," 2005 NASA/DoD Conference on Evolvable Hardware, 29 June-1 July 2005, pp 262-271.
3. Pike, Rob; Dorward, Sean; Griesemer, Robert; Quinlan, Sean, "Interpreting the Data: Parallel Analysis with Sawzall," Google, Inc.; found at http://research.google.com/archive/sawzall-sciprog.pdf.
4. Lo, Samantha; Chang, Rocky K. C; Colitti, Lorenzo, "An Active Approach to Measuring Routing Dynamics Induced by Autonomous Systems," Workshop of Experimental Computer Science (ExpCS), 2007.
5. Thoma, Yann; Tempesti, Gianluca; Sanchez, Eduardao; Arostegui, Juan-Manuel Moreno, "POEtic: an electronic tissue fro bio-inspired cellular applications," Biosystem, Vol 76,Aug 2004, pp 191-200.
KEYWORDS: Parallel processors, autonomous learning, networks, routing dynamics.
A08-049 TITLE: Structurally Integrated Position and Orientation Sensor and Seeker Technologies
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative conformal onboard position and angular orientation sensors for munitions for line-of-site and non-line-of-site applications as alternatives to current systems that use GPS for low cost integration of real-time guidance and real-time terminal guidance into the next generation of precision guided munitions and smart munitions. Proposed research should not use inertia, magnetometer, optical technologies or signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a reference and must be proposed for conformal integration into the munition structure such as fins or peripheral munition geometry.
DESCRIPTION: Innovative onboard full position and angular orientation sensor technologies are sought for munitions and other similar position and angular orientation measurement applications as alternatives to rate gyros, GPS, optical and other similar sensors. The primary goal is to develop full position and angular orientation sensors that could be used onboard munitions to provide full position and angular orientation information relative to a fixed or moving ground or airborne referencing system. It is highly desired that the sensors be geometrically conformal to the shape and size of munitions so that they could be embedded into the munitions structure and occupy minimal added volume. Such geometrical cavities can also be used as seekers in munitions to greatly enhance the performance and significantly reduce the cost of the system guidance and control components. Precision, direct and stable measurement of angular orientation is critical for guidance and control of smart munitions. The proposed sensors must provide angular orientation with accuracy of better than 0.1 milli-radians, must have negligible drift over several minutes of operation, must be capable of withstanding the harsh firing environment, such as temperatures of around 1200 deg. F and pressures of around 85,000 psi during firing, and very high accelerations of sometimes in excess of 100,000 Gs. The proposal should address the issues of position and angular orientation measurement accuracy, sensitivity, computational algorithms and the required calculations, susceptibility to environmental noise and methods of reducing their effects, optimal design of the proposed sensors through modeling and simulation, methods for conformal integration of the sensor into munitions. The primary trade-off parameters are conformability, size, cost, power consumption and accuracy.
PHASE I: Develop parametric analytical models to simulate the performance of the various geometrical shapes and sizes of the cavities to be used as either sensors or seekers. Develop algorithms for optimizing the geometrical shape and size of the sensor cavities to achieve maximum sensitivity and minimum sensor volume without compromising the structural integrity of the munitions. Develop methods for structural modeling and analysis of the structural integrity of the round with the integrated geometrical cavity during the firing. The designs must consider sensor cost and manufacturability issues.
PHASE II: Design a prototype of optimally designed geometrical cavities for polarized RF sensors as integrated in the structure of a selected gun-fired projectile or mortar. Fabricate prototype of the RF sensors as integrated in the projectile structure, perform structural integrity test, including air gun test, to illustrate survivability. Perform laboratory (anechoic chamber) tests and range tests to validate the performance of the optimally designed geometrical cavity sensors in measuring position and angular orientation.
PHASE III: The development of direct and absolute position and angular orientation sensors has a wide range of military, homeland security and commercial applications. In the military related areas, such sensors, particularly if they are low cost, are essential for guidance and control of all smart munitions, missiles and guided bombs. These sensors are also essential for the development of guidance and control systems of various weapon platforms, robotic systems, particularly those used for remote operation in hazardous environments, which may be encountered in homeland defense. Commercial applications include testing and validation systems such as those used in simulators.
REFERENCES:
1. Mostafa A. Karam PhD, “Polarimetric Optical Theorem”, J. Optical Society, Jan 1998.
2. Defense Science Journal, “Communications Electronic Warfare” D. Adam, Jun 2007.
3. Mostafa A. Karam PhD, “Microwave Polarimetric Scattering Model for Forest Canopies Based on Vector Radiative Transfer Theory”, Remote Sensing 1995.
4. M. A. Karam, Northrop Grumman, “ Multiple Scattering Contributions to the Radiometry of an Inhomogeneous Discrete Random Layer: A Radiative Transfer Approach.
5. J. Rastegar PhD, C. M. Pereira, “On the Geometry of 3D Orientation Measurement Using a New Class of Wireless Angular Position Sensors”, ASME, Oct 2004.
6. Feinian Wang, Kamal Sarabandi, Radiation Laboratory, EECS Dep., The University of Michican, “Accurate Estimation of Electromagnetic Wave Extinction Through Foliage”.
7. C. M. Pereira, MSEE thesis “Real-Time Referencing for Advanced Munitions Sensing Systems”, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dec 2004.
8. C. M. Pereira, J. Rastegar PhD., “Novel Conformal Sensor Technologies That Conform to Munitions Geometry”, SPIE, Canada 2005.
9. C. M. Pereira, J. Rastegar PhD” On the Geometry of 3D Orientation Measurement Using a New Class of Wireless Angular Position Sensors”, ASME, Oct 2004.
10. C. M. Pereira, J. Rastegar PhD “New Class of Onboard Absolute Orientation Measurement Sensor for Robotic Mobile Platforms”, SPIE, Oct 2004.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Angular Orientation Sensors, Position Sensors, Low-Cost Sensors for future Armaments, RF Cavity Geometry Optimization.
A08-050 TITLE: Novel Titanium Alloys for Improved Workability and Formability
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
OBJECTIVE: Develop new alpha-beta titanium alloys that offer lower cost and that will enable JPMO Lightweight Howitzer to further produce and field force-protect systems using lower cost titanium.
DESCRIPTION: The US Army’s use of titanium alloys has risen dramatically for a variety of add-on armor and structural applications, as alloy contents improve the strength of the titanium composite. There exists opportunities to further improve titanium alloy performance and reduce costs through the addition of unique alloying elements.
While the use of titanium is increasing in Army systems, it is still a relatively new phenomenon when compared to steel. Because of this there are many existing alloys and possible alloys that have not been used in Army systems. Much of the titanium alloys in use are also made for aerospace applications. Aerospace grade titanium is not always suitable for many Army systems. The goal of this effort is to explore new ideas and technologies in developing non-aerospace grade titanium alloys for Army applications. By exploring new alloys that fit this need, the Army will be able to reduce the costs of titanium used in Army systems and expand it’s overall use to new systems/areas. The overall life cycle costs for various systems will be decreased due to reduced weight and superior material properties, i.e., gas and transportation costs, improved corrosion resistance and wear resistance will reduce replacement/maintenance costs.
These new alloys must offer lightweight, high strength and high stiffness properties in order for the Army to create the high-performance components it requires in current and future weapons systems. The alloying production and compound manufacturing method chosen for the new alloys must ensure an adequate tensile strength and weight ratio.
Consideration should be given to titanium alloys that enable the production of weapons systems components by near-net shape casting, as this method eliminates or dramatically reduces the need for machining -- representing a significant cost savings. The need for a fully documented, repeatable and electronically transferable process must also be considered.
The following metrics are provided as a general guideline:
- 30% reduction in overall system weight when compared to conventional steel structures/systems.
- Yield strength in the range of 135-130 Ksi.
- Tensile strength at least 10% greater than yield strength.
- Decrease in cost 20% - 30% when compared to current market price for Ti-64 (non-aerospace grade).
PHASE I: A feasibility study will be undertaken to determine the viability of non-aerospace grade titanium alloying materials to create new titanium alloys with the optimal tensile strength, weight and low cost attributes. The alloys will be further analyzed to determine their viability to produce titanium components via near-net shape casting. Castable Ti-64 Grade 5 should be used as a baseline comparison for the alloy developed during Phase I. A successful effort will result in the development/selection of an alloy which can meet the majority of metrics contained in the Description.
PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a compound specifically for use in the manufacture of armor and weapons systems components. Qualification testing will validate whether the titanium alloy composition can meet the strength and durability requirements for munitions manufacture. The end result is a strong yet lightweight alloy mixture, a near-net shape casting process and the needed equipment to make the titanium alloy rapidly producible and cost effective.
PHASE III: The “vision” for these alloys is that the Army will use them in the manufacture of key components of munitions to continue to reduce weight, improve performance and survivability. Both the recipes and the casting processes will be documented for future use and transferred to the industrial base. Commercially, the alloy composites and processes can be employed to reduce the cost to manufacture products for the automotive, medical device and cycling industries, as well as numerous other manufacturing sectors.
REFERENCES:
1. Titanium and Titanium Alloys - Paper on the "Key to Metals" website.
http://www.key-to-metals.com/Article20.htm.
2. Summary of Emerging Titanium Cost Reduction Technologies
http://engine-materials.ornl.gov/Kraft-Titanium-2.pdf.
3. Low-Cost Titanium Armors for Combat Vehicles
http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9705/Montgomery-9705.html.
4. Titanium and Its Alloys: Selection of Materials and Applications
http://www.key-to-metals.com/Article125.htm.
KEYWORDS: Alpha-beta alloys, Titanium alloys, Munitions systems, Near-net shape casting.
A08-051 TITLE: High Resolution Multispectral X-ray Imaging
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
OBJECTIVE: Design, develop and demonstrate a high resolution staring array detector module, to include readout electronics with control hardware and software, to be used in an digital X-ray inspection system for munitions.
DESCRIPTION: The Army and its ammunition plants are responsible for X-ray inspection of a wide variety of munitions in order to insure safety and proper functioning. Items inspected range from small fuze assemblies to 155 mm projectiles. X-ray energies to 460 KeV are routinely used. Energies in the MeV range are occasionally necessary to penetrate up to five inches of steel at the base of the larger munitions. (1,2,3) Although the medical community moved to digital X-ray imaging many years ago, the large energies required by the Army application and the non-availability of suitable detectors for use at those energies, has impeded a similar migration in the industrial radiographic community. (4) In an effort to move away from film-based radiography and towards digital radiography, ARDEC has sponsored several projects to develop technology for direct digital X-ray imaging and computed tomography.
Cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) is the X-ray sensor of choice for non-destructive industrial imaging applications because of its mechanical qualities, high X-ray absorption, and fast throughput.(5) It is capable of operating in single-photon mode in which the pulse output is proportional to the energy of the X-ray photon. This permits energy discrimination or energy band selection from a broad-band Brehmstralung source. Large pixelated monolithic CZT crystals for performing X-ray detection are now available and small detector arrays with modest resolution have been demonstrated.(6) Further innovation is required, however, to develop an imaging array capable of resolving flaws on the order of 0.005”, e.g. HE-base separation gaps, as required by inspection criteria. Energy discrimination is necessary to reduce the effects of X-ray scatter which cause unacceptable artifacts in computed tomography and lost of contrast in images. Energy banding is necessary for dual energy computed tomography. The detector array must be modular, fully abuttable, have high spatial resolution, be spectrally sensitive with at least five selectable energy thresholds, and work at the high X-ray energies and flux rates encountered in industrial radiography.
This solicitation is for implementation of CZT arrays into a high resolution modular detection system capable of being scaled, or tiled together, to form a large area imager of arbitrary size. The module should be on the order of 1 cm x 1cm. A pixel pitch of 200 um is desired (50 x 50 array) although 250 um (40 x 40 array) will be acceptable. CZT thickness must be at least 3 mm in order to provide sufficient detection of 400 KeV X-rays. The electronics array must be capable of measuring, for each pixel, the energy of each absorbed photon to a resolution of at least 7% at 120 KeV at an average X-ray flux of 6 million photons per second per square mm. Comparator / discriminator circuits should provide parallel output at five user-selectable energy thresholds. Thus the system output should be a three-dimensional data array. That is for each pixel the number of photons exceeding each of the 5 energy thresholds should be reported.
PHASE I: Investigate the feasibility of developing a high resolution X-ray imaging module as described above. Rationale that the design will meet the requirements must be clearly presented and substantiated.
PHASE II: Develop, fabricate and test a complete X-ray detector system, as designed in Phase 1 above. The system shall consist of the detector module, all support electronics, and computer software required for operation.
PHASE III: Modular, high resolution, energy selective, sensitive and fast CZT X-ray detectors are required to properly inspect many Army end items. These items include projectiles, artillery shells, mortar rounds and small arms ammunition; such applications range from quality assurance inspections to malfunction investigations. As the technology matures, film-based radiography will be replaced with digital methods and new digital inspection techniques, such as three-dimensional CT imaging, will become practical. This will initiate commercial demand for digital systems. The same transition will occur in commercial/industrial radiography for NDE and process control. Homeland defense applications for these detectors, such as screeners for rapid detection and identification of illicit items, will become practical creating additional market opportunities. A successful Phase II program will prove feasibility and enable the successful contractor to find a partner to fund further development and develop commercial markets.
End Vision: Following successful development and validation, digital radiography protocols will be developed by ARDEC's radiographic laboratory under PEO-AMMO Life Cycle Pilot Process (LCPP) programs. The new protocols will become part of the NDE standards munitions plants will be required to adhere to in subsequent acquisitions which will initiate commercial market demand.
REFERENCES:
1. Nondestructive Testing Handbook, 3rd edition, V4 Radiographic Testing (2002); American Society for Nondestructive Testing; http://www.asnt.org/publications/handbook/handbook.htm.
2. ASTM Standard E1742-06 Standard Practice for Radiographic Examination; ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA; http://www.astm.org.
3. ASTM Standard E1255-96(2002) Standard Practice for Radioscopy; ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA; http://www.astm.org.
4. ASNT Digital Imaging X Topical Conference; Mashantucket, CT; 30 July - 1 Aug 2007; http://www.asnt/org/events/conferences/digital/digital.htm.
5. See, for example, http://www.evproducts.com.
6. Ultra High Flux 2-D CdZnTe Monolithic Detector Arrays for X-Ray Imaging Applications; Szeles, C.; Soldner, S. A.; Vydrin, S.; Graves, J.; Bale, D. S.; Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on; Volume 54, Issue 4; Aug. 2007 Page(s):1350 - 1358, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel5/23/4291690/04291794.pdf?isnumber=4291690&arnumber=4291794
KEYWORDS: Cadmium zinc telluride, X-ray imaging, X-ray detectors, pixelated arrays, X-ray, manufacturing quality, non-destructive evalutation, industrial radiography.
TPOC: Dr. Howard Jenkinson
Phone: 973-724-2645
Fax: 973-724-4111
Email: howard.a.jenkinson@us.army.mil
2nd TPOC: Michael Skipalis
Phone: 973-724-3429
Fax:
Email: michael.skipalis@us.army.mil
A08-052 TITLE: Development of Nanothermite-Based Microthrusters
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ammunition
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate performance of nanothermite systems in propelling microthrusters.
DESCRIPTION: The principal applications of microthrusters are for primary propulsion, altitude control, and pointing capability of micro-spacecraft [1,2]. Some technologies currently being developed include: microgas generators for micro-actuators, airbags, and specialized military applications such as Low Cost Course Correction Technology (LCCCT). This latter technology employs microthrusters for in-flight trajectory correction of laser guided projectiles. The LCCCT provides enhanced accuracy and improved dispersion of a trajectory in-flight to compensate for system errors under all conditions. Overall, LCCCT is suitable against ground, air and naval targets and it can be applied to gun launched projectiles, mortars, and rockets. Although pyrotechnic microthrusters are known, the information on utilizing metastable intermolecular composite (MIC) materials for thruster application is not existent. It is anticipated that this project will focus on investigation of and application of MIC materials instead of conventional propellants for generating thrust impulses from 50 µN to 10 mN. Metastable intermolecular composites (MIC) belong to a class of nanoenergetic materials, where oxidizer and fuel are mixed at nanoscale leading to enhanced reactivity. MICs have improved performance in terms of energy release and ignition as compared to their micron-size reactants.
PHASE I: Design and test a microthruster chamber with micrometer size convergent-divergent nozzle in polycarbonate or metallic structures. Identify a suitable metastable intermolecular composite (MIC) based on pressure characteristics and load for generating thrust impulses from 50 µN to 10 mN in a microthruster chamber. Demonstrate ignition and performance characteristics of MIC material in a chamber with various sizes of convergent-divergent nozzles.
PHASE II: Develop correlation for thrust prediction generated by various MIC materials with respect to the size of microthruster chamber and size of nozzles. Demonstrate on-demand multiple ignition capability for multiple course correction. Develop and fabricate a prototype to meet the LCCCT munitions requirements as prescribed by the Department of Defense.
PHASE III: Construct and demonstrate a prototype of a microthruster for the LCCCT application and develop scale-up plans for microthruster production. It is expected that dual use application will be in DoD (LCCCT, space-based surveillance, nano and micro satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles) and commercial (remote sensing for climate and traffic, communication satellites, micro-gas generators for airbags and microactuators).
REFERENCES:
1. C. Rossi, B. Larangot, D. Lagrange, and A. Chaalane, « Final Characterization of MEMS-based Pyrotechnical Microthrusters” Sensors and Actuators, A121, 508-514, 2005/.
2. K. Zhang, S.K. Chou, and S.S. Ang, “Investigation on the Ignition of a MEMS Solid Propellant Microthruster Before Propellant Combustion”, J. Micromech. Mocroeng., 17, 322-332, 2007.
KEYWORDS: Microthrusters, nanoenergetics, nanothemites, MIC, MEMS.
A08-053 TITLE: Thermal Sensing and Responsive Materials for Environmental Monitoring
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team
OBJECTIVE: Identify, develop and refine thermally responsive materials to “record” and reveal environmental exposure history of ordnance components and other items whose performance can be affected by environmental extremes.
DESCRIPTION: Ordnance is designed to operate in a wide range of environments, however, at times, extreme conditions are encountered that can exceed the typical design ranges. It was documented in Desert Storm for example, that the temperatures inside shipping containers sometimes exceeded 190 degrees. This significantly exceeds the design limits of 145 – 165 F and can result in degraded ordnance performance, or worse. For example, propellant stabilizer is known to deplete at an accelerated rate as temperature rises and sustained exposure to high temperatures could ultimately lead to a potentially catastrophic event. High temperatures are also implicated in adhesive bond failures, circuitboard issues, and a reduction in the mechanical properties of engineering plastics common to many ordnance items. Despite these and many other consequences of elevated temperature exposure, there currently is no way to know what environmental extremes fielded items have experienced during their lifetime.
Having an indication of the environmental exposure history of an item will enable troops and munitions managers to readily identify ordnance that may have been compromised. As a result, compromised munitions can be culled from those that are fully serviceable – helping to ensure mission success and enhancing soldier safety.
Environmental exposure history can also support diagnostics and prognostics by QA and other personnel and support ultra-reliability over time as certain unanticipated vulnerabilities become apparent. In turn, the development community can address any vulnerabilities revealed.
Temperature indicators affixed to certain ordnance items (or propellant for example) could be optically read and provide an input to a fire control system potentially enabling improved delivery accuracy. Additionally this capability would support elevated soldier safety in the event an item is determined to be unsuitable for firing by the system as a result its thermal state.
Thermally responsive materials could also potentially be applied to weapon barrels to monitor the extreme temperatures that can be reached when undergoing high rates of fire. Breaching critical temperature regimes could indicate a safety hazard (e.g. "cook-off" risk) and/or the need for maintenance and/or barrel replacement since barrel wear can be correlated with high rates of fire and associated erosive temperature extremes.
The following characteristics/objectives are considered important for success:
• Very Low cost – In the approximate range of 25 cents to one or two dollars to monitor an item or group of items.
• Long life – as long as the life of the item - 10+ years. The indicators must be, and remain stable and compatible with a variety of substrates to which they might be applied. Ultraviolet light tolerance is highly important in some applications, but in some cases would not be critically important.
• Application of the indicators shall be easy and inexpensive and shall not degrade the performance of the item itself.
• The indicator/material shall be chemically compatible with a variety of metallic and organic material substrates.
• No external power supply shall be needed.
• The ability to irreversibly “trip” when certain threshold temperatures have been reached. Also, the ability to provide a current/reversible (“real time”) indication of temperature over the range of 0 to 200 F (for most applications) but also as high as approximately 1250 F for weapon barrel applications.
• The ability to indicate the approximate TOTAL number of exposure hours experienced over a variety of temperature ranges/bands up to approximately 200 F for most applications, and up to roughly 1250 F for weapon barrel applications.
• The indicators/materials ideally will be readily discernable by the human eye. That is – no specialized “reading” or decoding equipment shall be required to interpret the information. However, the ability to ALSO electronically/optically read/interpret the information for possible use and storage in information systems is a desirable capability.
• The total space consumption of the indicator shall be almost nil – in the vicinity of .025 cubic inches (for example – 1” X1” X .025”).
PHASE I: During Phase I the company shall explore materials and options to meet stated objectives. The approaches/solutions deemed most worthy of further work in Phase II shall be identified with a solid rationale provided as part of a Phase I report. Additionally at least limited demonstrations of the basic functionality of some candidate reversible and irreversible thermally responsive materials shall be conducted. Potential methodologies for using materials to “record” TOTAL exposure hours to a variety of temperature regimes shall also be explored. Temperature regimes of interest commonly would be in the range of 100-200 F, but for weapon barrel heating applications temperatures as high as 1250 F are of interest and shall also be explored. All work done in this phase shall be documented in the Phase I report. The company shall also lay out a plan for execution in Phase II that will address the approaches the company will take to meet the stated general performance objectives as well as LONG LIFE and stability of the materials, including UV energy tolerance.
PHASE II: During Phase II the company shall extensively develop and evaluate materials that address the stated objectives of the solicitation. The pros and cons of various approaches and candidate materials shall be addressed and those that offer the most promise will be the subject of extensive work. Extensive testing and demonstrations shall be conducted to assess/confirm their desired functional behavior as well as their suitability for long term use, and UV tolerance. Work shall also be conducted to assess the producibility of these materials and a credible projection of their cost shall be made. All work shall be thoroughly documented in a Phase II report.
PHASE III: The end state envisioned for this research is to have a “family” of customized, stable, and long lived materials that can respond to a wide range of temperature exposure histories (both reversibly and irreversibly) and reveal that history by simple observation. These materials could, for example, be used in conjunction with humidity indicator “windows” inside the packaging of sophisticated ordnance items. This would enable in-situ monitoring of the true temperature experienced by an item inside of its packaging. These materials could also be applied to very small components (e.g. electronics) to monitor environments. This could support engineering failure analyses and identification of vulnerable components and ultimately lead to improved designs and performance over time. As mentioned above, significant benefits could also potentially accrue in the weapon system safety and performance areas.
PM Excaliber and PM Mortars have provided written endorsements of this technolgy and others are expected. Transition to these organizations is anticipated pending a successful outcome of the research.
Note: This topic also addresses the Ammunition Stockpile Reliability Program (ASRP) called for in AR 702-6.
Commercial applications could encompass anything that is negatively affected by thermal extremes. These could include pharmaceuticals, blood plasma, food products, electronics, etc.
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.chemeurope.com/lexikon/e/Thermochromism.
2. http://www.chromazone.co.uk/Thermochromism.htm.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermochromism.
4. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel4/5726/15322/00712062.pdf?arnumber=712062.
KEYWORDS: Thermochromism, thermal materials, temperature sensing, thermochromic paint, phase change materials, polymers, liquid crystals.
A08-054 TITLE: Spectrally and Spatially Foveated Multi/Hyperspectral Camera
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics
ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: The objective is to develop an electronically controlled spectral- and spatial-foveated multi/hyperspectral sensor that is dynamically programmable to achieve variable spectral/spatial resolution and acuity in user defined regions of the image.
DESCRIPTION: The human eye is a foveating sensor. That is, the highest acuity or concentration of sensors is in the central portion of the sensor. The highest spatial resolution is in the center of the sensor and decreases towards the edge. Color is not seen on the edges of the Field of View (FOV) for the eye. This solicitation is for the development of a foveating visual multi/hyperspectral sensor in which regions of interest, (ROI’s), have high spatial and spectral resolution as opposed to other regions of the image. Optimally, the resolution would change in a smooth fashion. Considerable Research and Development has been done to simulate the effects in images in order to decrease the data rates required, while maintaining the information of primary interest. The research has not been extended to more than three colors and mostly is done with monochrome images. This solicitation will extend the work to include changes in the spectral resolution as well as the spatial resolution. This solicitation is for developing the sensor to change the spectral and spatial resolution in user defined regions as opposed to performing the task in the post processing of the data. In addition to simply changing the spatial and spectral resolution the sensor should change the data acquisition and transmission rate in the ROI. That is, the ROI region should acquire and transmit its data to the outside processor/display faster than the surrounding region. The system should acquire and process the data to create an image of high quality, in which the ROI’s have the highest acuity by a factor of two or more from the low acuity region in the spectral, spatial and temporal domains.
PHASE I: The contractor shall create one or more designs for a sensor which is foveated in both the spatial domain and the spectral domain and in acquisition rates as described in the description section of this solicitation. The contractor’s design shall be developed to the level to clearly establish the manufacturability of the sensor using current manufacturing methods. The contractor shall simulate the sensors’ functionality and the images expected of the sensor.
PHASE II: The contractor shall complete one of the sensor designs to the point where it can be sent to a foundry for fabrication as a full up prototype. The design should have at least two ROI’s in the FOV as described in the description section above. The contractor shall either fabricate the high risk components of the prototype and test their functionality, or simulate the high risk components in gross detail. The full up prototype design shall be thoroughly evaluated through computer simulation of all components and their integration to provide the highest level of confidence that the prototype will function as in the description above.
PHASE III: The phase III shall result in a prototype sensor as per the design and be available for field testing as specified by ARDEC. The testing shall evaluate the foveated sensor for a wide range of military and commercial applications including Homeland Security operations such as the Border Patrol, airport security and FEMA in responding to urban security incidents or natural disasters. The new ATO, R.IS.2008.04. Soldier Sensor Component & Image Processing is one of the most likely paths for transition.
REFERENCES:
1. Techniques for image processing in variable acuity focal plane arrays, J.T. Caulfield, P.L. McCarley, J.P. Curzan, M.A. Massie and C. Baxter, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6542, 654213 (2007).
2. Imaging applications of large format variable acuity superpixel imagers, M. A. Massie, P.L. McCarley and N.I. Rummelt, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6206, 62060Z (2006).
3. Fovea, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fovea.
4. Space variant imaging, http://svi.cps.utexas.edu/
KEYWORDS: Foveation,variable acuity, Region of Interest, hyperspectral, multispectral.
A08-055 TITLE: Compact Unit for Eye-safe Standoff Explosive Detection
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics
OBJECTIVE: Develop a compact, man-portable explosive detection unit that offers real-time explosive detection from standoff approaching 30m, that does not rely on photoionizing radiation, and that can positively identify an exposed or concealed explosive substance.
DESCRIPTION: As a result of its role in the Global War on Terror, the Army faces threats from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that cause soldier casualties and injuries in significant numbers, as well as extensive damage to Army equipment. The Army requires the ability to identify explosive threats before detonation. Many commercially-available explosive detection technologies involve the acquisition of a chemical sample of the suspect material and analysis of that sample’s chemical composition. Such an approach presents dangers to the soldier resulting from the need to make close contact with the target, and is not suitable for certain applications such as wide-area surveillance. Standoff detection schemes have been investigated, and some technologies are commercially available, but many require bulky instrumentation, slow signal acquisition times, use of photoionizing radiation, limited standoff range, or several of these. Each of these drawbacks limits the potential applications in which a given technology could be expected to make a useful contribution. This solicitation seeks to develop an instrument that surmounts several of these obstacles. The emphasis of this solicitation is on bulk explosive detection, but trace detection approaches are welcome as well. The goal is an instrument that can detect and identify explosive threats that are exposed, or concealed by common dielectric materials such as clothing or plastics. The company shall develop a prototype detection device that is compact and man-portable and that can offer eye-safe operation and rapid explosive detection and automated identification at standoff.
The probability of successful detection of an explosive threat is increased when information from orthogonal sensor modalities can be synthesized to provide more comprehensive information about the target. While this call is not specifically for sensor fusion approaches, proposals that exhibit an awareness of the need for sensor fusion and that convincingly articulate a path by which their device could be extended or integrated with other orthogonal sensing approaches will be viewed most favorably.
PHASE I: Design a detection system that can detect and identify exposed bulk explosive threats at standoff approaching 10m. The device should offer eye-safe operation and should provide rapid operator-assisted identification of threats. The device should demonstrate ability to detect all common explosive materials (e.g. TNT, RDX, etc.).
PHASE II: Extend standoff range to approaching 30m. Demonstrate detection of concealed explosive threats. Automate threat recognition, with total time from initiation of signal acquisition to positive identification of explosive threat to occur within 1s or less. Quantify sensitivity and selectivity to known explosive materials as a function of standoff distance, mass/spatial characteristics of target, and presence of obscurants.
PHASE III: The system developed will have considerable potential for military and commercial security and antiterrorism applications. Commercial security applications include airport checkpoints, container screening, or border security. By extending the detector’s list of recognized substances to include non-explosive threats such as narcotics or chemical or biological agents, the list of potential security applications increases considerably. Expanding the capabilities further to enable detection of homemade explosives or the constituents used to produce them would permit utilization of the detector in law enforcement or counter terrorism operations aimed at identifying bombers prior to device emplacement. Military applications could include installation security, suicide bomber detection, and route clearance operations.
REFERENCES:
1. Existing and Potential Standoff Explosives Detection Techniques, Committee on the Review of Existing and Potential Standoff Explosives Detection Techniques, National Research Council, National Academies Press, Washington (2004). Available online at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10998.html.
2. J.F. Federici, D. Gary, R. Barat, and D. Zimdars, “THz Standoff Detection and Imaging of Explosives and Weapons”, Proc. SPIE 5781, 75 (2005).
3. Claudio Bruschini, “Commercial Systems for the Direct Detection of Explosives”, Swiss Defense Procurement Agency (2001). Available online at http://diwww.epfl.ch/lami/detec/ExploStudyv1.0.pdf.
KEYWORDS: Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Standoff Detection.
A08-056 TITLE: Bio-Inspired Battlefield Environmental Situation Awareness
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Battlespace
OBJECTIVE: Develop a conceptual bioinspired navigation system for micro-air vehicle situation awareness in complex urban terrain. This system involves both the software and sensors, but the emphasis should be on the integration of information for safe navigation. The primary technical risk is in the development of algorithms which can exploit information available from very small and light sensors systems comparable in scale to those exploited by flying insects and birds. Exploitation of existing sensor concepts should provide adequate information, so the design should exploit such concepts rather than develop them.
DESCRIPTION: The world is populated with a seemingly countless number of tiny machines that exhibit very complicated adaptive behaviors in challenging environments – living creatures. Even very tiny and simple creatures manage to solve the problem of sensing their environment and control of motion and flight in a turbulent atmosphere. They do this with the aid of neural systems that are nearly microscopic.
There is more than one reason that this effectiveness is surprising. They perform their information processing with a neural system in which signal propagation speed (1m/s – 100 m/s) and switching times (~ 1 millisecond) are roughly one million times slower than the comparable numbers for a modern silicon based microprocessor. These processing elements are themselves living systems (neurons and associated cells) that need to ingest food, synthesize a variety of products they need for life and function) and cooperated with other similar systems. Moreover, they are exquisitely delicate – temperature and their biochemical environments need to be precisely controlled in order for them to function.
Human engineers, at least for the moment, are quite incapable of building something as small and complex in its behavior as a fly, despite the apparently very great advantages of our information processing technology.
The most plausible explanation for this unreasonable effectiveness is superior design. Despite many limitations of the underlying technology (living cells), biological systems are exquisitely adapted to solving the problems they face in survival.
That notion is the inspiration for biomimetic technologies. The goal is to understand and use these design principles to develop better mechanical systems for human technology.
In particular, we wish to adapt some of these design principles to the operation of Army autonomous and semi-autonomous systems, especially to the problem of how such systems are aware of and respond to environmental conditions likely to impact their operation, including, wind, obscurants, temperature, precipitation, and snow, as well as terrain and vegetative features.
PHASE 1: Develop a conceptual bioinspired navigation system for micro-air vehicle situation awareness in complex urban terrain. The Phase I report should discuss the environmental awareness challenges for such a system and detail a conceptual design for coping with those challenges. This plan should be informed by the design and operation of the sensor and control systems employed by small aerial bio-systems such as hummingbirds and dragonflies.
PHASE II: The primary Phase II products should be a detailed design, simulation and prototype for the bioinspired autonomous situation awareness and navigation system. The design and prototype should mitigate or solve the problems of the micro-aerial system operating autonomously in a complex domain. Those problems include avoidance of obstacles, maneuver in a crowded urban air space with complex atmospheric flows, and the ability to cope with other hazards of the urban battlefield environment.
PHASE III: The technologies developed in phases I and II are immediately applicable to small autonomous military systems, and should be readily commercializable for such applications. In addition, the same technologies are relevant to many or most of the other autonomous and semi-autonomous systems now under development for applications such as hazard inspection and disaster recovery, patrol of communication and transport routes, and surveillance, policing, and protection.
Autonomous military systems are near or at the point of the technological spear, but their use in almost every aspect of life is proliferating. While some sophisticated and expensive semi-autonomous robots explore distant planets other simpler and cheaper ones vacuum living room floors. Each of these systems faces the typical hazards of autonomous existence, and future progress in developing such systems depends on development of the mechanisms for environmental awareness necessary for their safe and effective operation.
Autonomous air and ground transport is projected to be an important technology in a decade or less. The most crucial requirement for bringing this technology to fruition is the ability to see and avoid obstacles and other vehicles. This will depend on a degree of environmental awareness beyond current systems. If the system developed in Phase II of this proposal is applicable to the problem, commercialization should have a huge payoff. Significant progress in such environmental awareness is likely to have broad applicability to both future military and civilian systems. An effective system should find a wide range of commercializable applications.
Other aspects of environmental awareness probably can't change a whole paradigm, but if they are applicable to military autonomous systems, there is a good chance that they would also have commercial potential.
REFERENCES:
1. Wikipedia, Bionics, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionics.
2. Biomimetic Underwater Robot Program http://www.neurotechnology.neu.edu/.
3. Electronic Neurons, http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/alobster.htm.
4. Ayers., J., Zavracky, P., McGruer, N., Massa, D., Vorus, V., Mukherjee, R., Currie, S. (1998): A Modular Behavioral-Based Architecture for Biomimetic Autonomous Underwater Robots. In: Proc. of the Autonomous Vehicles in Mine Countermeasures Symposium. Naval Postgraduate School. Online at: http://www.neurotechnology.neu.edu/biomimeticrobots98.html, 2 Oct 2007.
5. Biomimetic Nanotechnology, http://www.aip.org/tip/INPHFA/vol-10/iss-4/p16.html, Industrial Physicist 10, 4.
Joseph Ayers, Joel L. Davis and Alan Rudolph, Ed, Neurotechnology for Biomimetic Robots, 2002, MIT Press.
6. Paulson, Linda Daily, 2004: Biomimetic Robots, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/2/29430/01333004.pdf?arnumber=1333004.
7. Rhett Butler, 2005: Biomimetics, technology that mimics nature