Army 17. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform

OBJECTIVE: Develop a high-performance, lightweight composite material suitable for multi-use including building construction, force protection, and force projection applications.

DESCRIPTION: The DoD requires multi-use, high-performance materials to support 1) sustainability of critical infrastructure, 2) force protection for facilities and critical assets, and 3) force projection and maneuver operations. Installations require new resilient construction materials that provide long-term durability, contamination impermeability, and chemical stability, while allowing user-friendly installation. DoD facilities and critical assets require alternatives to traditional construction materials that provide greater structural performance and/or protection levels. Current polymer and steel materials used for constructing facilities and infrastructure come with many disadvantages, such as low strength and fire resistance, low toughness, high contamination potential, high weight, and high cost. In addition to fixed facility construction, a proactive means of rapidly constructing required facilities and infrastructure in deployed scenarios is also needed to ensure DoD forces can deploy and freely enter the theater of operations by various means in areas where resources may be limited.

The preliminary properties of a geopolymer composite with basalt fiber reinforcement show a strong promise for applications in flexible and temporary pavement construction, platform construction, and ballistic protection. These materials have the potential to replace the application of similar, traditional materials within non-traditional applications, to provide a higher level of structural performance.

A geopolymer binder is an inorganic material known for its excellent long-term durability, contamination impermeability, chemical stability, and user friendly, low cost. In addition, geopolymer binders cure at room temperature and have an amorphous 3-D chemical structure, due to polycondensation. Basaltic fiber is made from extruding filaments from molten basalt rock. Basalt fiber is a lightweight, resilient material, one tenth the weight of steel. Additionally, basalt filaments cured with epoxy polymers, have over twice the tensile strength of steel. Many fiber reinforced polymer materials have similar traits to basalt. However, basalt is distinguished by its superior properties, such as very low conductivity, corrosion resistance, non-magnetism, and high heat resistance. The basalt filament material is gaining ground as an alternative to replace concrete and asphalt in various pavement applications, and steel reinforcement in many force protection and structural applications.

PHASE I: Experimentally demonstrate the structural performance of a geopolymer composite with basalt fiber reinforcement under appropriate loads to include but not limited to vehicle, aircraft, ballistic and blast, and structural loads. Specifically, the testing would need to demonstrate capability of the composite to withstand extreme environmental conditions without degrading performance. The composite material must not degrade under UV exposure or absorb water and must be capable of passing flame resistance standards of self-extinguishing after 2 sec, no melt/drip, and no more than 50% consumption (ASTM D6413). It should be noted that since basalt is a naturally occurring material with mechanical property variations depending on the different mineralogical sources, a systematic investigation of the effects of source and composition of the reinforcing basalt will be performed. The results of such a study will indicated how to optimize the mechanical properties by the amount and reinforcement types (e.g. fiber length, type of weave, combination of reinforcement). Phase I deliverables will include small-scale structural samples for ERDC experimentation, a final report describing the preliminary system design and testing, and a cost and economic analysis assessing the value of the material technology and its further developmental applications.

PHASE II: Design, analyze and fabricate larger-scale composite components for evaluation in terms of load-bearing capacity including blast. Test and demonstrate the components for use in structures, pavements, and blast protection applications. Determine installation time, ease of use, and safety aspects. A final report describing the larger-scale composite components will be provided to ERDC.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Deliver final full-scale structural component prototypes for examination in the various applications mentioned previously. A final report describing the full-scale structural component prototypes will be provided to ERDC. The technology would support a wide range of protection, construction, and projection applications including blast panels, building platforms, and expedient pavement surfacing’s.

Phase III Dual Use Applications: Transition to commercial building and pavement construction, Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps air and vehicle mobility applications. Other potential users include police, Department of Homeland Security, and other stakeholders.

REFERENCES:

1. Ahmad, Mohd Rozi, Jamil Salleh, and Azemi Samsuri, Effect of Fabric Stitching on Ballistic Impact Resistance of Natural Rubber Coated Fabric Systems Materials & Design, 29(7), 2008, 1353-1358

2. Billon, H.H. and D.J. Robinson, Models for the Ballistic Impact of Fabric Armor, International Journal of Impact Engineering, 25(4), 2001, 411-422

3. Inorganic Polysialates or ³Geopolymers², W. M. Kriven, (invited paper), American Ceramic Society Bulletin, 89 [4] 31-34 (2010)

4. Jena, P.K., K. Ramanjeneyulu, K. Siva Kumar, and T. Balakrishna Bhat, Ballistic Studies on Layered structures, Materials & Design, 30 (6), 2009, 1922-1929

5. Lesser, Alan J. Development of high Performance Polymer Fibers using Subcritical and Supercritical CO , Final Report, Defense Technical Information Center, Accession Number ADA379124, http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA379124, March 1, 2000

6. Ribero, D. R. and W. M. Kriven, “Properties of Geopolymer Composites Reinforced with Basalt Chopped Strand Mat or Woven Fabric,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc., in press, DOI: 10.1111/jace.14079, (2015)

7. United Facilities Criteria 4-01-010-01, DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings

8. V50 Ballistic Test for Armor. ARMY MIL-STD-662F. Army Research Laboratory, Weapons and Material Research Directorate. Dec 18, 1997

KEYWORDS: Basalt, Geopolymer, High Performance Material, Heat Resistant Pavement, Force Protection Material System, Helicopter Platform

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Chemical/Biological Defense

OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate a multicomponent ticket or chit that affords a human-readable indicator response to chemical agents, protein-content, and explosive/energetic materials for presumptive field identification.

DESCRIPTION: Reconnaissance teams rely on a variety of technologies to provide threat detection and presumptive identification. A variety of operational situations anticipated in the global environment involve the possible presence of chemical or biological threat materials or energetic/explosive compounds. Soldiers train with a variety of products to enable the detection and identification of certain threat agents. With respect to chemical agents, the principal product employed to detect and characterize the threat agent is the M8 paper which yields a multicolor response on exposure to small quantities of liquid chemical warfare agents, classifying them as G, V, or H based on the specific color response of the ticket as compared with an included reference chart. The modern operational environment presents an expanded set of potential threats that pose a hazard to operations, to include additional chemical agent types and chemistries, biological materials, and energetic/explosive compounds.

Enabling technology in indicator-impregnated chemistry has evolved since the introduction of the M8 paper tickets, potentially affording a much more rich and versatile product that can yield comparable or better performance as a human-readable ticket for G, V, and H agents but also expanding the threat basis to include additional types of blister agents, nerve agents, Toxic Industrial Chemicals, and biological threats. Additionally, new chemistries have been reported in recent studies that afford higher selectivity indicator response to specific threat agents. An innovative integration of multiple detection indicators into a single-chit form factor is needed to define an advancement in capability over the M8 paper. The application of the detector ticket should be functionally similar or identical to the concept of operation of the existing M8 paper: the paper (or other material) is dabbed or wiped onto a surface containing a small but apparent deposit or residue and then its response compared to a color chart to presumptively classify or identify the contaminant. A wetted paper probe may be defined for powder analysis. Reactions leading to an observable color change on contact with the tested material (in neat liquid form or wetted powders) should be complete within a few (0-15) seconds. While biological agent identification may not be feasible, a simple screening capability that identifies the threat of biomarkers such as proteins or amino acids is within reach. Energetic and explosive compounds often present as solid matter, but reactions are known that give rise to a colorimetric response. The intent of this development project would be to demonstrate a comprehensive enhanced chemical agent indicator with the added capability of indicating the presence of explosive or energetic compounds as well as proteins, amino acids, or other biomarkers that can be used to screen potential threat materials for further interrogation and analysis as biological threat agents.

PHASE I: Define a conceptual suite of co-deposited detection dye technologies that deliver a potentially useful observable color change that can be compared to a reference bar or chart for presumptive identification of G-, V-,

H-, L-, arsenicals, alkylating agents, protein, and energetics/explosive compounds on exposure to a single drop (10-30 microliters) or a few grains of powder on a wetted surface (e.g., chit or ticket consisting of a paper or polymer substrate). Explore options for the construct to yield a uniform ticket form factor that closely resembles M8 paper in appearance and functionality. Assess human factors as a constraint to the architecture of the chit. The user must be able to quickly compare the observed response to a standard graphical chart with a minimal number of reference elements.

PHASE II: Design a prototype ticket or chit that integrates the proposed chemistries onto a human-readable format, and demonstrate the reliable use of the ticket or chit for presumptive detection and identification of chemical agents, Toxic Industrial Chemical, energetic or explosive chemicals, and possible proteinaceous or similar biomarkers to characterize suspect materials (rule in/rule out) as potential biothreat agents. Further optimize the ticket/chit performance and demonstrate its performance against each targeted threat agent, protein and/or biomarker presence, Toxic Industrial Chemical, and energetic/explosive compound.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Optimize the threat agent indicator tickets for reliable and reproducible production at the minimum possible per ticket cost. Analyze cost-performance trade-offs for various chemistries. Commercialize the product for a variety of security and defense markets.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Multi-indicator threat detection tickets could find broad application across an extensive market beyond the Department of Defense. First responder and HAZMAT teams, Law Enforcement, Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the US Postal Service are all exemplars of viable consumers for the technology.

REFERENCES:

1. El Sayed, Sameh; Pascual, Lluis; Agostini, Alessandro; Martinez-Manez, Ramon; Sancenon, Felix; Costero, Ana M.; Parra, Margarita; Gil, Salvador (2014) “A Chromogenic Probe for the Selective Recognition of Sarin and Soman Mimic DFP”, ChemistryOpen, 3(4), 142-145

2. Goud, D. Raghavender; Pardasani, Deepak; Tak, Vijay; Dubey, Devendra Kumar (2014) “A highly selective visual detection of tabun mimic diethyl cyanophosphate (DCNP); effective discrimination of DCNP from other nerve agent mimics”, RSC Advances, 4(47), 24645-24648

3. Goswami, Shyamaprosad; Manna, Abhishek; Paul, Sima (2014) “Rapid ‘naked eye’ response of DCP, a nerve agent stimulant: from molecules to low-cost devices for both liquid and vapour phase detection”, RSC Advances, 4(42), 21984-21988

4. Feng, L.; Musto, C. J.; Kemling, J. W.; Lim, S.H.; Suslick, K. S.(2010) “A Colorimetric Sensor Array for Identification of Toxic Gases below Permissible Exposure Limits”, Chem. Commun., 46, 2037-2039

5. Feng, L.; Musto, C. J.; Kemling, J. W.; Lim, S.H.; Zhong, W.; Suslick, K. S. (2010) “A Colorimetric Sensor Array for Determination and Identification of Toxic Industrial Chemicals”, Anal. Chem., 82, 9433-9440

6. Carey, J. R.; Suslick, K. S.; Hulkower, K. I.; Imlay, J. A.; Imlay, K. R. C.; Ingison, C. K.; Ponder, J. B.; Sen, A.; Wittrig, A. E. (2011) “Rapid Identification of Bacteria with a Disposable Colorimetric Sensor Array”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 133, 7571-7576

7. Germain, Meaghan E. and Knapp, Michael J., (2009) “Optical explosives detection: from color changes to fluorescence turn-on” Chem. Soc. Rev., 38, 2543–2555

KEYWORDS: Environmental Sampling, Presumptive Identification, Chemical Detection, Dye Chemistry, Indicator, Agent Disclosure, M8 paper, colorimetric identification

A17-064

TITLE: Robotic Perception System for Casualty Pose Mapping