Air force 16. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions

PHASE I: Identify one or more concepts or approaches to identify counterfeit components, and compare the attributes of the approaches with existing methods and capabilities. Down-select a subset of the approaches and show a rudimentary proof of concept on one or more case studies. Approaches should be focused on, but not limited to, identification of counterfeit integrated
circuits/circuit boards.

PHASE II: Further develop the chosen concept and demonstrate its practicality in a prototype trial, and optimize the technology from the aspects of speed of use, accuracy, versatility, cost, deployability, and minimal adverse effect on the components future performance.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Military and other industries are similarly affected. Auto industry, commercial aircraft manufacturers; domestic retail would benefit from being able to weed out counterfeit parts quickly and accurately.

REFERENCES:

1. J.M. Bryan, I.R. Cohen, and O. Guzelsu, "Inquiry into Counterfeit Electronic Parts in the Department of Defense Supply Chain," Report of the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate (2012). Http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/download/inquiry-into-counterfeit-electronic-parts-in-the-department-of-defense-supply-chain.

2. K. Huang, J.M. Carulli, and Y. Makris, "Parametric Counterfeit IC Detection via Support Vector Machines," Proceedings of IEEE International Symposium on Defect and Fault Tolerance in VLSI and Nanotechnology Systems, pp. 7-12, October 2012.

3. V. Pathak, "Improving Supply Chain Robustness and Preventing Counterfeiting through Authenticated Product Labels," Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security, pp. 35-41, November 2010.

4. J. Federico, "Detecting Counterfeit Electronic Components," Evaluation Engineering: Instrumentation Test Report, 2009. http://www.njmetmtl.com/EE%2009_09_w.pdf.

KEYWORDS: counterfeit electronics, forensic technology

AF161-067

TITLE: High-Performance Body Armor-Integrated, Multifunctional Batteries for Dismounted Soldier

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Materials/Processes

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Ms. Gail Nyikon, gail.nyikon@us.af.mil.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate a high performance (greater than 200 Wh/kg), fail-safe, multifunctional battery integrated into small arms protective insert (SAPI) hard body armor plate for improved weight reduction on the dismounted soldier.

PHASE I: Design armored MFB that can provide high-performance (200 Wh/kg) ballistics protection. Define performance parameters/integration constraints. Demonstrate feasibility that the system has sufficient fail-safe capabilities, structural robustness, and energy/power efficiency to meet design metrics.

PHASE II: Develop prototype MFBs with a focus on integration and packaging as a multifunctional body armor battery. Optimize the technology for weight, volume, reliability and ruggedization supporting dismounted BA operations in the specified environmental conditions. Demonstrate and validate the ability to meet required performance and safety metrics. Ballistic testing shall be performed in accordance with MIL-STD-3027. Prototype batteries shall be delivered at conclusion of effort to TPOC for analysis.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Develop pre-production product capable of use with current BA electrical equipment and plate carriers. The multifunctional battery shall successfully pass MIL-STD testing (e.g., high/low temperature, water immersion), demonstrating sufficient safety and technology readiness level for transition.

REFERENCES:

1. Bren-Tronics BT-70791CG Data Sheet; http://www.bren-tronics.com/bt-70791cg.html.

2. Lafontaine, Dan, "Conformal battery unburdens Army's networked Soldiers," http://www.army.mil/article/107362/ (2013).

3. ARPA-E Robust Affordable Next Generation Energy Storage Systems (RANGE) program; http://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=arpa-e-programs/range.

4. Asp, L.E. and Greenhalgh, E.S., "Multifunctional composite materials for energy storage in structural load paths," Crash-Safe Energy Storage Systems For Electric Vehicles Workshop; Denver, (2012).

5. Black Diamond APEx Predator System; http://bdatech.com/apex.

KEYWORDS: fail-safe multifunctional battery, battlefield airmen, ballistics protection, body conformal armor, safety

AF161-068

TITLE: High-Temperature Electric Wires

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Ms. Gail Nyikon, gail.nyikon@us.af.mil.

OBJECTIVE: Develop electrical conductor that has >50% higher electrical conductivity per mass than comparably rated copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al) wires, with improved operability at higher temperatures (~500 to 600 degrees F) and superior mechanical properties.

DESCRIPTION: Electric wires and cables constitute by far the largest weight portion of aircraft electrical power systems, as well as a large fraction of an entire aircraft weight. Development of lighter weight conductors could substantially reduce this weight to improve aircraft performance. There may also be interest in improving performance at higher operation temperatures of 500 degrees F (for legacy aircraft) and up to 600 degrees F, since these temperatures can be typical for enclosed environments.

Traditional Cu or Al conductors may have limitations for some applications, such as very poor cycling fatigue and greater than 100 percent lower electrical conductivity as the operation temperature increases to greater than 400 degrees F. However, recent development of carbon-based conductors have shown promise and superior properties to Cu or Al, and especially up to 80 percent higher electrical conductivity at temperatures of 200-400 degrees F, and greatly superior mechanical properties[1-4]. Short length samples of 4-5 layer graphene doped with FeCl3 have achieved electrical conductivities approx. 9x10^7 S/m which is almost to the level predicted by theory (approx. 1x10^8 S/m) and 50 percent higher than Cu, while being 4.5x lighter than Cu [1]. These properties were reduced for longer piece length, e.g., four-layer graphene conductors have been manufactured in 100-meter lengths with electrical conductivity approx. 3x10^7 S/m which is almost the same as for Al, however is still about 30 percent lighter than Al [2]. In another approach, carbon-nanotube (CNT) forests were metalized with approx. 40-50 Vol% of Cu layers, and the composite conductivity-per-mass was 30-40 percent higher than Cu at room temperature and greater than 100 percent higher at approx. 200-400 degrees F[3]. Properties of CNTs are improving every year, however the electrical conductivities are still about 7-8x lower than Cu[4]. These approaches are providing impressive properties in lab-scale samples, however must also be achieved in conductors for km-lengths and high cross-section areas, to enable transmission of higher currents of up to 200 amps. Other approaches are of interest, if they can achieve improved properties. For any approach proposed, the technical and scientific issues of mechanically handling and bundling ultra-small or ultrathin conductors into high-amperage conductors can be a significant difficulty which must be addressed.

In addition to electrical conductivity, new conductors must have other useful properties, including high strength, pliability, and very low alternating current (ac) loss characteristics at low and high frequencies are desired for some applications. Successful concepts must ensure that wires are reliable and rugged enough for challenging environments and issues from prolonged use such as corrosion, wear and tear caused by chafing, wire fatigue, vibrations, rough handling, and other factors. Safety/health issues such as arc fires during failure are also important. Also, volume density must be considered, as a non-traditional wire could be lighter with equal resistivity but have larger diameter or cross section compared to Cu, which can increase the electrical insulation coating weight and support structures on aircraft such as conduit housings. For this topic, wire conductors less than 200 amps are of interest.

Demonstrate feasibility to deliver wire products with the best combined properties for Air Force applications. Properties of interest include temperature dependent electrical conductivity, flexibility, mechanical strength, conductor stability over time, wire fatigue, maintainability, and affordable life-cycle acquisition cost for present or eventual prototype-scale manufacturing. Teaming/collaboration with prime contractors/OEMs is encouraged to facilitate transition.

PHASE I: Using lab-scale processes, make samples of novel conductors less than 200 A and length at least 10 cm length that have higher mass-specific electrical conductivity than Cu or Al wire. Develop suitable metric and methods of measurements for reliable and objective comparison of the novel conductors to standard metal conductors (Cu, Al). Develop business case/transition plan.

PHASE II: Design and fabricate prototype-scale equipment for long-length conductor manufacturing, and provide deliverables of conductors 1-10 meters long rated for current in the range less than 200 amps. Evaluate properties such as mechanical, uniformity as a function of length, fatigue and time-stability of such conductors, and determine whether they can meet military specifications. Refine business case/transition plan.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: A multitude of aerospace vehicles will benefit from reliable, light-weight conductors that will improve fuel efficiency and increase payload capability. Other potential civilian users include law enforcement, rescue crews, and others who typically have to carry electronic equipment to do their jobs.

REFERENCES:

1. I. Khrapach, et al., "Novel Highly Conductive and TransparentGraphene-Based Conductors," Adv. Mater. Vol. 24, pp. 2844 (2012).

2. S. Bae, et al., "Roll-to-roll production of 30-inch graphene films for transparent electrodes," Nature Nanotechnology, Vol. 5, pp. 574 (2010).

3. C. Subramaniam, et al., "One hundred fold increase in current carrying capacity in a carbon nanotube–copper composite," Nat. Communications, 4:2202 | DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3202.

4. N. Behabtu, et al., "Strong, Light, Multifunctional Fibers of Carbon Nanotubes with Ultrahigh Conductivity," Science Vol. 339, pp. 182 (2013).

KEYWORDS: electrical conductor, electrical conductivity, carbon nanotube, graphene, multilayer graphene, graphene composite, electrical power systems, power transmission wire, power transmission cable, joint strike fighter, lightweight, mass specific, high temperature

AF161-069

TITLE: Physics-based airframe stress calculations at flow-separation dominated flight conditions for aircraft operational clearance, life prediction and inspection scheduling

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform

OBJECTIVE: More accurately predict performance, remaining life and inspection intervals for an aircraft by converting actual usage data at flow-separation dominated flight conditions into stresses on the structure via physics-based, aeroservoelastic simulations

DESCRIPTION: The process of determining initial or remaining aircraft structure life has not significantly changed in 50 years. It is still a highly manual and labor intensive process, individual steps are not easily integrated together, and the advantages of high performance computing have not been fully utilized. Recently, the Air Force Research Laboratory has produced a long-term vision, called Airframe Digital Twin[1], that is beginning to address these issues. This project will be one of the crucial early steps toward the Airframe Digital Twin vision.

Several twin-tail fighter aircraft (past and present) have been angle-of-attack (AoA) limited in their early operational stages, due to either narrow- or broad-band buffet loads excitation on the vertical tails. Due to highly separated flows at larger AoAs, buffet loads require a Navier-Stokes fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for the steady-state loads, followed by an Euler fidelity CFD simulation for the dynamic loads. In addition, many U.S. military aircraft (e.g., F-16, F-15, C-5, and A-10) are reaching or are already beyond their originally designed, fatigue lives. To identify their residual fatigue life or extend their fatigue life by retrofit, accurate loads spectra to perform fatigue analyses or ground fatigue tests on these aircraft is required. Physics-based models of crack formation and growth are also required, since empirical models based on a large database of historical crack formation and growth are helpful in detecting cracks, but lack understanding of, and insight to, the physics of how cracks are formed.

Aircraft life prediction and inspection intervals have traditionally been generated using empirical models applied to a single, standard aircraft usage profile for the entire fleet. These models are expensive to generate and update. The transition from event-based to real-time flight data recorders on individual fleet members provides Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) managers with powerful new information to transition to individual life predictions and inspection intervals. However, ASIP managers currently lack a toolset and process to re-evaluate life and inspection intervals for an individual aircraft, flown by a unique pilot, carrying a particular payload configuration, and burning fuel throughout.

This toolset and process should receive the recorded flight data (e.g., aircraft states, control surface deflections, fuel level, stores configuration) as inputs. The real-time aeroservoelastic simulation must be physics based and capable of incorporating variation in pilot, vehicle mass/inertia, manufacture, and repair history. The process should produce an updated life prediction and inspection interval based on damage tolerance analysis which utilizes the more realistic and accurate dynamic loadings obtained from simulation.

PHASE I: Demonstrate feasibility for quantifying the impact of dynamic aeroelastic loads at flow-separation dominated flight conditions. The dynamic loads include both 1) surface pressures on the air vehicle and 2) big bone/component loads such as wing root bending. This task can be accomplished with a finite element model and an aerodynamics model derived from an outer moldline. Develop transition plan.

PHASE II: Integrate the capability developed in Phase I into a relevant 6-DOF vehicle simulation environment. Identify critical maneuvers/flight conditions via enhanced 6-DOF simulation and application of the resulting loads spectra to the air vehicle finite element model (AV FEM). Identify critical stress regions within the AV FEM. Establish correlation between these global hot spots and an individual structural component (e.g., vertical tail component) damage tolerance model. Refine transition plan.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The resulting capability has applications in both 1) prototype development activities and 2) service life extension programs.

REFERENCES:

1. Eric J. Tuegel, Anthony R. Ingraffea, Thomas G. Eason, and S. Michael Spottswood, "Reengineering Aircraft Structural Life Prediction Using a Digital Twin," International Journal of Aerospace Engineering, Vol. 2011.

2. P.C. Chen, D.H. Baldelli, and J. Zeng, "Dynamic Flight Simulation (DFS) Tool for Nonlinear Flight Dynamic Simulation Including Aeroelastic Effects," Proceedings of the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference and Exhibit, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 2008, AIAA 2008-6376.

3. H.D. Dill and C.R. Staff, "Effect of Fighter Attack Spectrum on Crack Growth," AFFDL-TR-76-112, May 1975 - July 1976.

4. Miller, G.L., Talmor, D., and Teng, S.H., "Optimal Coarsening of Unstructured Meshes," Journal of Algorithms, 31(1):29–65, April 1999.

5. Bartels, R.E. and Schuster, D.M., "Comparison of Two Navier-Stokes Aeroelastic Methods Using BACT Benchmark Experimental Data," AIAA-99-3157-CP.

KEYWORDS: aircraft life prediction, aircraft usage, aeroservoelasticity, aircraft structural integrity program, structural dynamics, aircraft aging, aircraft loads, fatigue life, recorded flight data

AF161-070

TITLE: Advanced Circuit Technologies for Reliable, Low-Cost, High-Temperature Electronic Controls

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Ms. Gail Nyikon, gail.nyikon@us.af.mil.

OBJECTIVE: Develop conceptual designs and approaches that reduce the cost and increase the reliability of printed wiring boards (PWBs) and circuit subassemblies used for high-temperature electronic control assemblies in aerospace and engine applications.

PHASE I: Demonstrate feasibility of applying advanced materials, components, and PWB assembly techniques to design, modeling, and fabrication of high temp PWBs for electronic controls technology including FADEC, fuel control, and aircraft power converter/control. Evaluate the improvements over the current SOA. Develop transition plan/business case analysis.