Air Force sbir 04. 1 Proposal Submission Instructions
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| DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: The developed technology will have applications for both military and commercial gas turbine engines.
REFERENCES: 1. Younossi, O. et al., "Military Jet Engine Acquisition," p. 29-30, ISBN 0-8330-3282-8. KEYWORDS: intregrally bladed rotors, blisks, materials processing, fabrication AF04-141 TITLE: Damage Identification Algorithms for Composite Structures TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop an innovative damage identification algorithm and verify through a low-cost, reliable actuating/sensing structural health monitoring (SHM) system with interpretation algorithms for composite structures. DESCRIPTION: The integrity of in-service composite structures needs to be inspected to determine their physical condition throughout their lifetime. Such inspection will be crucial for the future aircrafts due to the increased use of composites which will be expected to perform near their limit conditions. To respond to any structural anomaly as a result of impact loads and environmental stresses, associated damages should be detected, identified, quantified, and, if possible, continuously monitored. The damage, such as delamination and matrix cracks, can be extensive, yet hidden. Consequently, accurate detection, identification, quantification, and monitoring of internal damage are of major concern in the operational environment. Therefore, acquiring knowledge into the nature, extent, and distribution of damage and degradation in a structure while in service using SHM systems is critical to develop subsequent timely strategies to retard deterioration and enhance the air safety. Innovative and commercially viable concepts are being solicited for the development of structural health monitoring for signal processing and data interpretation to establish quantitative characterization of damages occurred in composite structures. The proposed damage identification algorithms should have capability to identify, quantify, and monitor damage of various forms. The proposed approach should go beyond a simple monitoring system that merely detects the presence of damage without identifying its importance of the safety of the airframe structure. PHASE I: Develop an accurate and efficient damage identification methodology for detecting, locating, and quantifying the damages in fiber-reinforced composite laminates. The methodology is expected to recognize the size, forms of the failure modes such as matrix cracks, delamination, etc. The methodology also would have the capability of identifying the multiple damages. PHASE II: Validate the methodology by integrating composite structural systems with sensors and actuators through experiments. The sensors and actuators may include piezoelectrics, fiber optics, acoustic emission sensors, etc. The enhancement of damage image resolution through different excitation signals and filtering techniques should be addressed in the simulation and experimental results. Optimal placement of sensors and actuators by using techniques such as optimization techniques or genetic algorithms should be developed and verified. A beta version of the damage identification software with user-friendly interfaces should be delivered to the Air Force. The product must be insertable into an Air Force system program with a minimum of effort, preferably within 2 years following the completion of the Phase II program. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Use of composite materials in civil and spacecraft will require an accurate and fast assessment of damages under the conditions to be experienced during service. The system developed could be used in any DoD platform, since they all have critical structural components that require health monitoring. Significant cost savings could be achieved by using a wide-area inspection system of this nature since real-time health monitoring would decrease inspection costs by reducing unnecessary inspections and tear-downs for inspection. REFERENCES: 1. The First and Second International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, Stanford University, 1997 and 1999. KEYWORDS: composite structures, structural health monitoring, matrix cracks and delamination, multiple damages, damage identification algorithms. AF04-142 TITLE: Robust Bearings and Gears TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop and produce surface treatments and materials for bearings and/or gears capable of exceeding the current physical limitations of material systems and design architectures of jet engines. DESCRIPTION: Anticipated bearing and gear materials for use in complex jet engine nozzle and lift/vectoring components are not expected to meet desired service life and strength requirements. The application requires stable material performance at high contact loads, temperatures as high as 350 °C, and in the presence of corrosive environments. Typical ball bearing materials (e.g., M50) provide the required strength but will suffer from corrosive degradation and fatigue, while high performance stainless steel alloys (e.g. Pyrowear 675) provide corrosion resistance and fracture toughness but suffer from low yield strength. Anticipated gear materials need surface corrosion protection (e.g. Pyrowear 53 and AMS 6265) or surface strengthening (e.g. Pyrowear 675). All will benefit from surface modifications to reduce high temperature wear and friction. Technologies are sought to provide bearing/gear performance that has the corrosion resistance and can withstand the high temperature environments. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, enhanced mechanical performance of corrosion-resistant steels through alternative material selection, surface strengthening, and application of high-temperature solid lubricants with lifetime endurance. The program should address both cost and weight considerations of the material system. Project coordination with jet engine manufacturer is recommended. PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of developing more robust materials, surface strengthening techniques, wear and friction reducing treatments for bearings and/or gears for use in mechanical systems of jet engines such as the three bearing swivel duct and the lift fan. Develop prototype bearings and/or gears with the use of advanced materials and treatments and demonstrate the performance improvements. PHASE II: Develop a technological process for new gear/bearing material or surface modification and a procedure for testing the prototype bearings and/or gears for predetermined endurance limits. Assess the benefits of using these bearings and/or gears and cost savings associated with the improvements. PHASE III Dual Use Applications: These robust bearing and/or gears could have numerous mechanical applications for both military and commercial applications. These developments could be employed in almost any mechanical system where fatigue results from wear. REFERENCES: M. Johnson, J. Laritz, and M. Rhoads, "Thin Dense Chrome Bearing Insertion Program; Pyrowear 675 and Cronidur Wear Testing," Report No. R98AEB240; AFRL-PR-WP-TR-1998- 2110 (ADA361451). M. G. H. Wells, J. C. Beck, R. M. Middleton 4, P. J. Huang, and D. E. Wert, "Rolling contact fatigue behaviour of Pyrowear 675," Surface Engineering 15 (1999) pp. 321-323. C. E. Campbell and G. B. Olson, "Systems design of high performance stainless steels I. Conceptual and computational design," Journal of Computer-Aided Materials Design, 7 (2001) pp. 145-170. KEYWORDS: bearing, gears, jet engines, high temperature wear, fatigue failure, surface strengthening, high-temperature solid lubricants. AF04-143 TITLE: Shape Recovery Polymer Nanocomposites (PNCs) TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) that exhibit enhanced shape recovery performance as well as enabling actuation by triggers other than external heating. DESCRIPTION: Shape memory (recovery) refers to the ability of a material to reversibly recover inelastic strain [1]. Metallic shape-memory alloys are the classic archetype. They undergo a phase transformation (in this instance martensitic) upon deformation below a critical temperature that locks-in the deformation. Raising the temperature alters the morphology, allowing the material to recover its original shape. Shape memory polymers (SMP) exhibit the same physical phenomenon, however are lighter weight, exhibit larger recovery strains, are lower cost, and are easily processed into complex shapes by injection molding. Potential applications not only exploit the magnitude of force exerted by the SMP upon recovery but also the ability to reversibly access the dissimilar properties above and below the transition temperature, such as moisture permeability, thermal expansivity, damping ratio and index of refraction. PNCs are typified by the addition of low volume fractions (1 to 5 percent) of highly anisotropic nanoparticles, such as layered silicates or carbon nanotubes, which provide property enhancements with respect to the neat resin that are comparable to that achieved by conventional loadings (15 to 40 percent) of traditional fillers [2]. The lower loadings facilitate processing and reduce component weight. In addition, unique value-added properties not normally possible with traditional fillers are also observed, such as reduced permeability, tailored biodegradability, optical clarity, self-passivation, and flammability, oxidation and ablation resistance. The combination of these two concepts (shape recovery polymers and nanocomposites) is anticipated to enhance shape recovery performance as well as provide unique mechanisms to trigger actuation beyond direct external thermal heating [3]. PHASE I: Evaluate current shape recovery polymers to identify base-line capabilities. Fabricate promising polymer nanocomposites and evaluate shape recovery performance, including efficiency of energy recovery, extent of strain recovery, energy budget (power) necessary for actuation, temperature range of operation, and reproducibility upon deformation cycling. In addition, demonstrate novel mechanisms to trigger actuation, such as electrical or optical stimuli. PHASE II: Further develop the proposed material system, focusing on the optimization with regard to necessary energy budget of the novel trigger mechanisms. Develop the manufacturing processes/methods to produce the material in various forms (foam, monolith, film, fiber). Demonstrate the capability of the selected material to deploy a structural unit. A small quantity of the material will be produced and tested at the end of the Phase II effort. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Shape recovery polymers are utilized broadly. Current commercial concepts include such diverse applications as dolls hair that can be styled and reset, intravenous needles that soften in the body, temperature dependent moisture-permeable fabrics, rewritable digital storage media, and self-deployable structures. REFERENCES: 1. Monkman, G.J., "Advances in Shape Memory Polymer Actuation," Mechatronics, 10 (2000) 489-498. 2. Pinnavaia, T.J. and Beall G.W., eds. Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites, Wiley, New York (2001). 3. Koerner, H.; Wang, C-S; Vaia, R.A.; Alexander, M.D.; Pearce, N.; and Bentley, H., "Stimuli-Responsive Nanocomposites: New Opportunities For Aerospace," in Proceedings of Additives '03, San Francisco, CA, April 7-9, 2003. KEYWORDS: nanocomposite, shape recovery, shape memory, smart material, remote actuation AF04-145 TITLE: Biologically Inspired Luminescent Technology TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop luminescent materials technology for lightweight, low-cost, environmentally friendly military and commercial applications. DESCRIPTION: The Air Force is constantly looking for ways to reduce the power requirements and reduce the cost for its systems and subsystems and, at the same time, reduce their environmental impact. This applies to systems across the board, from stealth aircraft to electronics rework facilities, from maintenance on the flight line to search and rescue (SAR). Chemical glowsticks and battery-powered infrared strobes are used to mark landing zones. Glowsticks leave behind plastic evidence. IR strobes leave behind the evidence of the strobe, the battery, and add to the weight carried by Air Force personnel. Inspiration for an environmentally friendly, novel approach to tagging and marking used in SAR that doesn't require a power supply or batteries can be found in biology. A firefly, or lightning bug, is a self-powered luminescent system that is inherently lightweight and environmentally friendly. The lightning bug's bioluminescence comes from a chemical reaction. Bioluminescent reactions require a minimum of three components: 1) the enzyme, luciferase, 2) the bioluminescent substrate, luciferin, and 3) oxygen. The energy required for light production comes from the oxidation of the luciferin usually through a cyclic oxygen dioxetan or dioxetanone intermediate. Luciferin and luciferase are generic terms and refer to a number of distinctly different enzymes and five different families of substrates, respectively, found in, for example, marine organisms, beetles and earthworms. The wavelength of the emitted light is different for the different natural luciferase/luciferin combinations and can be shifted by either preparing luciferase mutants or by synthetically modifying the luciferin. PHASE I: Design and demonstrate the feasibility of a luciferin/luciferase bioluminescent materials system for use in marking, tagging, and anti-tamper applications. The proposed materials system must be able to be incorporated into biodegradable landing zone markers, anti-tamper systems, perimeter security systems, friend versus foe marking systems, etc. The bioluminescent materials system shall only emit after proper activation and not spontaneously. Phase I shall include or incorporate by reference data showing the biodegradation qualities of the materials system. PHASE II: Incorporate the bioluminescent materials system into at least two marking, tagging, or anti-tamper systems. The offeror shall demonstrate variations of these systems with bioluminescent materials systems designed to emit at least two significantly different wavelengths. The offeror shall demonstrate and test the performance and utility of the materials systems to include, but not limited to, factors to quantify the luminescent and biodegradable qualities of the systems. The deliverables from Phase II should include demonstration quantities of each materials system, the performance and test data, and the final report. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Successful development of the biodegradable bioluminescence technology has many applications in the commercial world. Bioluminescent markers can be used in applications as diverse as emergency lighting and party favors. Bioluminescent coatings can also be used in anti-tamper and other security-related applications. REFERENCES: 1. DeLuca, M., "Firefly luciferase," Adv. Enzymol. 44 (1976) pp. 37-68. 2. Wood, K. V., "The chemical mechanism and evolutionary development of beetle bioluminescence," Photochem. Photobiol. 62 (1995) pp. 662-673. 3. Hastings, J. W., "Bioluminescence," Cell Physiology Source Book, Sperelakis, N., Ed., Academic Press, New York (1995) pp. 665-681. 4. B. Branchini, "Chemical Synthesis of Firefly Luciferin Analogs and Inhibitors," Methods Enzymol., Vol. 305, Part C, M. M. Ziegler and T. O. Baldwin, Academic Press, San Diego, CA, (2000) pp. 188-195. 5. B. R. Branchini, M. H. Murtiashaw, R. A. Magyar, N. C. Portier, M. C. Ruggiero, and J. G. Stroh, "Yellow-Green and Red Firefly Bioluminescence from 5,5-Dimethyloxyluciferin," Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 125 (10), (2002) pp. 2112-2113. KEYWORDS: luciferin, luciferase, biological, tagging, marking, luminescence, bioluminescence AF04-146 TITLE: Biologically Inspired Thermal Detector Technology TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop biologically derived or biologically inspired thermal detection technology for lightweight, low-cost, environmentally friendly military and commercial applications. DESCRIPTION: Current uncooled thermal/infrared (IR) detectors and imaging systems are extremely expensive, rigid, hard to produce at high yield, and require exotic materials and processes for fabrication. The Air Force is interested in looking to nature for materials and/or designs that can be incorporated into existing thermal detection/imaging systems to enhance performance or that can enable new tactics and platform concepts. Nature has many examples of how biological organisms such as snakes (pythons and pit vipers), beetles (Melanophila), and bacteria, can sense IR and/or thermal radiation. This sensing process is of interest to the Air Force because of the high sensitivity these systems possess and the fact they do this without the need for cryogenics. From a materials perspective, we are interested in how organic materials are accomplishing the same task sensor designers accomplish with inorganic composites. Biological systems use either functional material systems of different mechanical architectures or molecular structures to facilitate the thermal sensing. The biological systems then use chemical signals to perform cellular functions or trigger nervous systems responses. Using techniques including biochemical, microscopy, and molecular biology, one can characterize the unique biological material systems that allow infrared sensing to occur. The Air Force is interested in characterizing, synthesizing, and fabricating these material systems using various techniques to duplicate biological thermal sensing in a synthetic system producing a signal for processing in detection and imaging devices. There are a number of potential users and benefactors of this technology. Thermal detection and imaging has many applications in the military as well as commercial world. Civilian applications include thermal imagers for fire, police, and rescue. Other military applications include affordable thermal detection and imaging for individual soldiers, UAVs, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). Potential operational concepts include the following: o Integrated with gear for thermal detection/warning o Integrated with high bandwidth imaging to focus high bandwidth using thermal cues and low bandwidth for the rest of the scene o Integrated into conformal sensor to aid IV insertion o Thermal imaging to aid interrogation of people of interest o Low cost, uncooled sensor for unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and UGVs o Distributed network around the periphery of the airframe to provide global thermal threat awareness o Low cost, disposable thermal sensors for distributed network PHASE I: Design and demonstrate the feasibility of a biologically inspired or biologically derived thermally sensitive material system for use in low-cost detection or imaging applications. The proposed materials system must be able to be incorporated into lightweight, room temperature sensors. Phase I shall include or incorporate by reference data showing the environmental robustness qualities of the materials system. PHASE II: Incorporate the thermally sensitive materials system into at least two thermal detection or imaging systems. The offeror shall demonstrate and test the performance and utility of the materials systems to include, but not limited to, factors to quantify the thermal sensitivity, stability, and processing repeatability qualities of the materials system. The deliverables from Phase II should include demonstration quantities of the materials system, the performance and test data, and the final report. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Successful development of a bio-inspired thermal detection technology has virtually limitless applications in the military and commercial marketplace. Law enforcement, medical imaging, security, recreational, and automotive applications are too numerous to mention. REFERENCES: 1. Rajesh R. Naik, Sean M. Kirkpatrick, and Morley O. Stone, "The thermostability of an alpha-helical coiled coil protein and its potential use in sensor application," Biosensors & Bioelectronics 16 (2001) 1051-1057. 2. Ugo Mayor, Nicholas R. Guydosh, Christopher M. Johnson, J. Gunter Grossmann, Satoshi Sato, Gouri S. Jas, Stefan M. V. Freund, Darwin O. V. Alonso, Valerie Daggett, and Alan R. Fersht, "The complete folding pathway of a protein from nanoseconds to microseconds," Nature Vol. 421, 20 February 2003, 863-867. 3. Brandon R. Brown, "Sensing temperature without ion channels," Nature Vol. 421, 30 January 2003 495. KEYWORDS: thermal detection, thermal imaging, biological, bio-inspired, bio-derived AF04-147 TITLE: Active Calorimetry Development for Testing of Active Thermal Control Coatings and Devices TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop the necessary calorimetry hardware and devices necessary for testing of active spacecraft thermal control materials and systems in the space environment. DESCRIPTION: Active thermal control materials and coatings (both variable emittance and absorptance devices) are advantageous as they allow for real-time thermal management of spacecraft/satellites while in space. In-service lifetimes can be improved by 3 to 5 times those of current state-of-the-art passive thermal control coatings. In addition, active materials will allow for the use lighter weight and higher power vehicles to be implemented. Currently there are several developmental programs for active thermal control materials both within the Air Force and in industry. However, prior to Air Force and aerospace industrial acceptance and usage on space hardware, these material systems will need to be verified actively in the space environment. This includes both on the ground (simulated) and on actual space flight experimental testing. Explicitly, the most successful coatings/devices proven in ground/simulated testing will not be allowed to be put onto military space hardware until it is also demonstrated that they survive in the actual space environment. Presently, there are no calorimeters available that are capable of testing the various thermal control materials currently under development or used in space now. While there have been calorimeters developed previously for space applications, those calormeters have been very heavy, have high power consumption requirements, and are extremely complex with multiple layers of electronics and tens of thousands of readout channels that make them inappropriate for testing of active thermal control materials. This effort consists of designing and building the electronic calorimeter hardware needed to conduct the qualification tests in space of the newly developed thermal control material systems. The new calorimeter to be delivered at the end of the Phase II effort must be simple to use, lightweight, and able to perform in both the low earth and geosynchronous orbits. It must send real-time data back to earth on the performance of the materials being tested. It must be responsive and immediately adjustable to the dynamic changes in the space environment. This entails accurately testing the voltage pulse required to accomplish active thermal control, as well as surface temperatures, etc., and accurately recording this data. PHASE I: Demonstrate the proof of concept and feasibility of a new active calorimeter for use in space. The new calorimeter design will be simple to use, lightweight, and be able to perform in both the low earth orbit and geosynchronous orbits. It will provide real-time data back to earth on the performance of the active thermal control materials being tested. PHASE II: The calorimeter proposed in the Phase I will be built, tested with active thermal control systems in a simulated space environment, and a prototype delivered. The end product of the Phase II will consist of the actual hardware of the calorimeter that is ready for testing active thermal control devices on an actual space flight experiment/mission. It must be responsive, and immediately adjustable to the dynamic changes that occur in the space environment. This entails accurately testing the voltage pulse required to accomplish active thermal control, as well as surface temperatures, etc., and accurately recording this data. 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