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A02-226 TITLE: Diode Laser Technology for Directed Material Deposition (DMD) Processes TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM, Heavy Tactical Vehicles (HTV) OBJECTIVE: To further the research in diode laser technology so that a diode laser can be incorporated into a manufacturing machine that utilizes a direct metal deposition (DMD) process. DESCRIPTION: DMD processes use a high powered laser focused onto a substrate to create a molten puddle on the substrate surface. Metal powder is then injected into the melt pool to increase its volume. "Printing" back and forth creates a layer of deposited material. In a sequential fashion, new layers are then built upon previous layers until the entire object represented in the three-dimensional CAD model is reproduced. (1,2) This process is similar to other rapid prototyping technologies in its approach to fabricate a solid component by layer additive methods. However, this technology is unique in that fully dense metal components are fabricated directly from raw materials, thereby eliminating intermediate processing steps. (3) The laser heads currently in use are either nd:YAG or CO2. The YAG laser delivers 600 Watts of power at the laser head, while the CO2 laser delivers 2400 Watts of power. (4) Both require a substantial power source just for the laser. As an example, the YAG laser requires 208V, 3-phase power, drawing 75 amps at 60 hertz. This requires a power supply that is roughly 24"WX34"DX38"H5. This is in addition to the actual DMD machine and so adds significantly to the space required to set up this system. For the CO2 laser system the power requirements are even greater. It is clear that this technology, to be applicable for a military application, needs to be reduced in size. The Army uses primarily 8'X8'x20' shipping containers to transport maintenance equipment to the battlefield, therefore it is desirable for a DMD machine to fit within this envelope. Diode laser technology needs to be investigated as a method to do this. The power supplies for nd:YAG or CO2 are so large because of the inefficiency of the lasers. A typical YAG laser only converts 35% of the energy input to appropriate output. A diode laser, on the other hand, nearly doubles that efficiency so the power required is substantially reduced. Diode lasers, however, do not put out a laser beam that is a "spot", it outputs a beam that is a "column" and this needs to be overcome before a diode laser can be used in a DMD process. PHASE I: Conduct a study that determines the scientific, technical and commercial merit of using diode laser technology in a directed material deposition process and demonstrate the feasibility in a laboratory environment. PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate the use of a diode laser in a 5-axis DMD process. The system should demonstrate the fabrication of a child's jack as proof that the diode laser works in a 5-axis fashion. The resultant system should fit within the confines of an 8'X8'X20' shipping container and be operated with minimal human intervention. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This DMD system could be used in a broad range of military and commercial applications where fabrication of metal parts is required quickly, yet there are constraints on space. The industrial applications could include space stations, mining operations, construction projects, and oil drilling platforms. REFERENCES: 1) Optomec Web Site www.optomec.com 2) Modern Machine Shop Online http://www.pomgroup.com/Media/Articles/7/Rapid%20Traverse%20-%20Production%20Tooling%20In%20A%20Day.htm 3) Sandia National Laboratory Web Site mfgshop.sandia.gov 4) Optoelectronics World http://www.pomgroup.com/Media/Articles/6/Industrial%20Laser%20Solutions%20Online.htm 5) Optomec System Specifications http://www.optomec.com/macro/750%20specs.pdf KEYWORDS: Direct Metal Deposition, Directed Material Deposition, diode laser, DMD A02-227 TITLE: Develop Dust Tolerance Inprovements and New Technology for Military Air Cleaner Blower Motor TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM, Abrams Tank and Future Crusader OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this program are to: (1) investigate, study and evaluate air cleaner scavenging blower motors (ACSBM) wear characteristics and performance effects in dusty environments, and (2) develop design solutions to reduce ACSBM wear characteristics by developing a new technology advanced blower motor based on a specified ACSBM performance standard. The goal will be to provide a new blower motor design concept that has a 2 X increase in service life to a specified ACSBM. The new concept ACSBM will meet or exceed all performance requirements of the specified ACSBM. Research and Development solutions will include, but are not to be limited to, new materials for impeller blades or a specialized coating process to impeller blades, which resist dirt/dust erosion. Other research and development solutions for the new ACSBM can include but not be limited to, new blade and housing geometry. After developing a modeling process, the new design ACSBM will be evaluated through lab experiments and evaluations for performance requirement comparisons with the specified ACSBM. DESCRIPTION: Some Army combat vehicles including M1 Abrams, M109 Paladin and future Crusader vehicle use a ACSBM to remove dust from the pre-cleaner section of a two-stage air cleaner. In severe dust conditions, as experienced during operation desert storm, self cleaning air cleaners (SCAC) were deemed necessary and were developed and installed on the M1 Abrams. A SCAC is also planned for the future Crusader vehicle. SCAC systems require the ACSBM to remove up to 7% more dust since it now has to repeatedly remove the dust lodged on the barrier filters. Recent studies show that ACSBM when used in dusty environments experience blade erosion causing increased maintenance and ACSBM replacement. SCAC operating with an ACSBM with degraded performance will clog the SCAC filters causing loss of engine power and vehicle mission shortcomings. New ACSBM design concepts including new blade material technology, new coating processes applied to blades and housing/blade geometry profile changes may offer potential for improving the life of a specified ACSBM and save on logistic costs through reduced maintenance and extended ACSBM service life. When the ACSBM does not perform to the required airflow versus pressure drop requirements, dirt/dust can accumulate in scavenging duct/tube and cause an expensive self cleaning air cleaner to malfunction through continual clogging. PHASE I: Investigate and study how dirt/dust effects wear and performance over time on a specified air cleaner scavenging blower motor (ACSBM). Contractor will become knowledgeable of air induction filtration system on current military vehicles using ACSBM. In addition, they will become familiar with the performance specifications and requirements of ACSBM and evaluate any available test data. From this inquiry the contractor will develop and design a program plan through lab experiments and evaluations to establish and map ACSBM wear characteristics by dirt/dust shape, size and concentration. Dirt/dust particles will come from dusty environments that vehicles operate in during daily training and testing. Training and test sites include but are not limited to National Training Center, 29 Palms and Yuma Proving Grounds. Dirt/dust samples will also be evaluated from the Middle East. However, the bulk of dirt/dust will come from equal mixtures of SAE J726 fine and coarse test dust for conducting lab experiments. Initial dust tests on a specified ACSBM will be conducted with SAE J 726 test dust to verify it’s present shortcomings and establish new ACSBM concepts and design approaches. Investigate innovative blower motor design approaches such as new blade materials, coating processes to blades and new blower motor housing/blade geometry and profiles. The goal is to protect the ACSBM from dirt/dust erosion. New design approaches will be modeled and compared to a specified ACSBM to predict future improvements in service life. At the conclusion of Phase I, the proof of principal of a new design ACSBM must be demonstrated and enough evidence presented to substantiate a better design ACSBM with increased service life. Predictions as to the improved service life and reduced operation and support costs (OSCR) will be made. The new design ACSBM must show predictions that it can meet or exceed present performance requirements of a specified ACSBM. The specified ACSBM may be a similar design proposed for Crusader vehicle, a design similar to that used in M1 Abrams or the M109 Paladin. PHASE II: In Phase II, contractors air cleaner blower motor (ACSBM) design concept(s) will be extensively subjected to lab experiments and evaluations. Initial lab experiments and evaluations will verify the model predictions made in Phase I and will indicate the best design concept approach for an ACSBM if more than one design concept candidate is found at end of Phase I. The contractor’s program plan developed and designed in Phase I will provide the engineering analysis and verification for demonstrating their ACBM. The program plan will focus on the advanced design ACSBM prototype meeting all the performance requirements of a specified ACSBM. Lab experiments and evaluations will be conducted between the advanced design ACBM prototype and a specified ACSBM to demonstrate 2 times the service life of advanced design ACSBM prototype. Test dust per requirements of specified ACSBM will be used including dust concentrations higher than 25 times zero dust visibility to accelerate wear patterns. Once the advanced design ACSBM prototype has demonstrated improved service life on SAE J 726 test dust it will be evaluated on various dirt/dust sample profiles from various regions mentioned in Phase I. This will assure that advanced ACSBM is not degraded by dust samples from these different regions which could contain dust particles of different shapes, sizes and hardness profiles. The advanced design ACSBM prototype will undergo upgrades where deemed appropriate including design hardening to withstand rigorous shock and vibration levels that occur on combat vehicles. These lab experiments will verify the advanced design ACBM has reliability and can meet desired improved service life. The lab experiments will also verify that new design ACSBM can meet or exceed all requirements of a specified ACSBM. The specified ACSBM may be a current design proposed for crusader vehicle, a design similar to that used in M1 Abrams or the M109 Paladin. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Success of the program will lead to increase use of ACSBM in both military and commercial market since the longer life will result in reduced operating costs. In combat vehicles and commercial vehicles with space constraints, ACSBM are the choice of vehicle developers since they have installation flexibility. The application would apply to electric powered as well as mechanically driven ACSBM. Phase III civilian applications would apply to machines, which use scavenging fans to remove dust from an air cleaner system where conventional exhaust ejectors cannot fit or meet performance requirements. REFERENCES: 1) Title: Air Induction System Blower Motor Assembly Study; Prepared by: Product Assurance Directorate, Ram/Assessment and Data Division at U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command, Warren Michigan: Date: December 1983. KEYWORDS: Air Cleaner Scavenging Blower Motor, Scavenging Airflow, Dust Erosion A02-228 TITLE: Integrated Signature Management Lightweight Armor Technology TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles OBJECTIVE: The objective of this program is to identify and evaluate new material technologies that have the potential for being integrated into lightweight armor to provide a low observable surface that is adaptive to the surrounding environment. When integrated onto lightweight armor, the combined materials will be evaluated for their attributes including weight, durability in severe environments, multi-spectral optical properties and ease of fabrication. During this program, composite armor materials will be selected to assure compatibility with the adaptive signature management materials. This will include selection and evaluation of transparent materials that will act as an outer armor skin to protect the signature management material from severe environments including abrasion, water and thermal extremes. The signature management material is adaptive in that it will react to applied stimulus to provide a multi-spectral capability determined by the operational environment encountered. The applied stimulus may take the form of radiant, electrical or thermal energy. DESCRIPTION: Historically, the development of combat vehicle armors and signature management technologies have followed independent paths. Modern armor technology has evolved to counter the threats posed by current weapons. As a result, currently fielded combat vehicles are protected by many layers of relatively heavy armor comprised of materials with varying hardness, modulus and rheology. Signature management technology has not evolved to the same state of maturity as combat vehicle armor. The advent of programs such as the Future Combat System and Interim Combat Brigade are driving requirements for lighter, more mobile combat vehicles that are transportable, faster, require minimal maintenance, use less fuel and have more interior space for personnel and electronic systems. Achieving these goals will require a significant reduction in the use of heavy armor plate and implementation of new and innovative approaches to vehicle protection. Assuring the survivability of these modern combat vehicles will require lightweight composite armors that have an integrated adaptive signature management capability. The objective of this program is the development of a lightweight armor with an integral signal management material that is variable to external stimulus such as electrical charge, heat or radiant energy. A goal is to identify an armor surface that is effectively a passive low observable material in that its surface structure causes it to be inherently stealthy to multi-spectral imaging systems. PHASE I: During Phase I, several technologies will be evaluated to select candidates for use as adaptive signature management materials. The candidates will be selected based on a number of factors including their ability to satisfy the requirements for controllable optical behavior in response to an external stimulus. Candidates would include technologies such as the following: interferometric modulation based micromechanical displays, bichromal displays, photonic band gap materials that are three-dimensionally patterned on an optical length scale and nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films capable of color changes analogous to photosynthesis when sensitized by radiant energy. These technologies, and other candidates, will be identified and evaluated for their multispectral behavior and ability to be used in a combat vehicle environment. PHASE II: Phase II will consist of laboratory tests to determine the multi-spectral properties of candidate materials. Candidate materials will also be tested to determine their physical characteristics and identify a process for fabricating an variable signature management armor composite. This will also include the identification of interface requirements for power or other forms of energy. Other key tasks are selection of the ceramic and transparent armor composites for use in building the demonstration hardware to be evaluated in Phase III of this program. The conceptual design for the test panels is a ceramic armor substrate that will form the base for application of the signature management material. To provide environmental protection and the signature management, material will have an external layer of transparent armor selected for its ruggedness, transparency and resistance to ballistic impact. The process of selecting these materials will also involve definition of a fabrication process in addition to evaluation of the potential system cost. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The primary objective of this phase is to evaluate the candidate signature management materials for compatibility with the ceramic armor base and the transparent armor overlay. This technology has application for a broad range of military and civilian applications where very rugged, environmentally stable displays are required. Known civilian areas include controllable displays for transportation of various cargo on trucks, railroads and ships. Others civilian applications include continuous monitoring and display of material status in hazardous environments such as refineries and chemical manufacturing facilities. Finally, similar to the proposed military applications, these materials could be used to up-armor vehicles used in the transportation and protection of civilian personnel. REFERENCES: 1) K. Weber, M. El-Raheb and V. Hohler, “Experimental Investigation on the Ballistic Performance of Layered AIN Ceramic Materials and Pyrex”, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Ballistics, San Antonio, Texas, 1999, P. 1247-1254. 2) C. James Shih, Marc A. Adams, Gene A. Hutchinson “Development of a Versatile, Low Cost Ceramic Armor”, Interim Report TACOM Contract No. DAAE07-99-C-L028, SBIR A98-072. 3) I. Schwendemann, J Hwang, D. M. Welsh, D. B. Tanner, J. R. Reynolds, “Combined Visible and Infrared Electrochromism Using Dual Polymer Devices”, Advanced Materials, 2001. 4) T. F. Jacobson, “Transparent Armor Options Ground Vehicles”, Proceedings of the 11th Annual US Army Ground Vehicle Survivability Symposium, 27-30 March 2000. KEYWORDS: Signature Management, Adaptive Camouflage, Lightweight Armor, Multispectral Optical Properties, Ceramic Armor, Transparent Armor, Stress Wave Attenuation, Electro-Emissive Devices, Photonic Band-Gap Materials. A02-229 TITLE: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Communication TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems OBJECTIVE: Develop novel synthetic aperture techniques to take advantage of moving platforms (satellite/plane and vehicle) to effectively simulate large aperture antennas resulting in improved signal to noise ratios. Investigations of performance improvements over standard methodologies must be performed. Design, build, and demonstrate an inexpensive, lightweight, 2-way (transmit and receive) system on a vehicle. The system should be capable of continuously tracking and communicating with satellites while the ground based platform (vehicle) is in motion. DESCRIPTION: Military and commercial requirements for communications on-the-move are rapidly evolving. To achieve the objective force transformation, the Army needs to be able to communicate with its force when necessary and cannot afford to halt troop movement for communications gear to be setup. Command and control info, intell reports, weather, logistics traffic, can be transmitted to enroute forces to update and possibly change the ongoing mission. Vehicular diagnostic information can be sent while in motion to ensure maintenance parts or service will be available upon reaching the destination. Planned and recently launched commercial satellite systems offer a wide variety of services primarily limited to stationary terminals. Low cost satellite antennas would open up these services to the mobile users, much like advancements in cellular phone technologies increased the user base. Current mobile satellite antenna systems are too bulky and costly which have significantly impeded their use by the military and limited commercial market penetration. PHASE I: Perform a study of the feasibility of the performance of a synthetic-aperture-based mobile receiver versus standard mobile satellite communications antenna systems. Compare the signal to noise gains against metrics such as, but not limited to: aperture size, frequency band, multipath effects, delay (as a result of signal processing), memory and MIPs required, polarization effects, complexity, beam pointing accuracy, vehicle dynamics (speed, heading, vibrations,…), multiband operation, costs, waveform and environmental effects. Determine how military, as well as commercial, communication systems for vehicles could benefit from such a technology. PHASE II: Perform a computer modeling and simulation of the synthetic aperture receiver to demonstrate its performance in a variety of simulated communications channels that the military vehicles will be subjected to. Terrain, multipath effects, frequency dependent effects, and varying simulated vehicular environments need to be programmable variables for the simulations. Fabricate a breadboard for an actual demonstration. Fabricate a breadboard and field demonstrate the communications capability. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Integrate the technology onto the on-board vehicle communication systems, the databus and the vehicle telematics and diagnostics systems. Implement the system and perform field tests with a moving vehicle and a communications satellite. This system could be used in a broad range of military and civilian applications where automatic satellite tracking for communications is necessary. There is a great commercial demand for great bandwidth and an improved signal-to-noise ratio for the information being passed back and forth from vehicles due to the ever-increasing telematics market. This would solve many of the same bandwidth needs of the military. An improvement in SNR can be traded off with the following benefits – lower transmitter power, increased capacity, more users, smaller physical size of antenna. REFERENCES: 1) http://www.itsa.org/ITSNEWS.NSF/4e0650bef6193b3e852562350056a3a7/b91a608dcd1c9ce085256af6004eebbd?OpenDocument KEYWORDS: synthetic aperture radar, satelite, intelligent transportation system, vehicle telematics A02-230 TITLE: Motion Planning for Omni-Directional Vehicles TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate motion planning software that is tailored to the unique capabilities of an Omni-Directional Vehicle (ODV). DESCRIPTION: Omni-directional vehicles can move in any direction from a stationary position and typically have wheels that can independently rotate 360 degrees. This flexibility allows them to perform maneuvers that are very difficult or impossible with the standard Ackerman steering of traditional vehicles. Additionally, some advanced ODV’s can independently raise or lower each wheel within a given range (z-axis control). This flexibility requires that we move beyond simple path planning to motion planning, where the optimal configuration of the vehicle is estimated, in addition to the optimal path. This research involves the development of software to determine the optimal vehicle motion through a given terrain, based on the capabilities of the vehicle. The software must include options for ODV’s with three to six wheels, with or without z-axis control, as well as the baseline Ackerman steering, with or without z-axis control. The input to the software will be a map of the local terrain, with the starting and stopping points indicated. The map will contain information about the terrain, including elevation, obstacles, soil type, traction, etc. The software must handle static maps, as well as dynamic maps, where information from the vehicle’s sensors is used to update the map. The software will determine the optimal path, along with the vehicle’s optimal configuration (orientation and z-axis position) at each point along the path, constrained by physically permissible vehicle movements. Optimality, measures will include shortest distance, shortest time and minimum power usage. In the event that computation time is constrained or terrain knowledge is limited, the software must provide reasonable sub-optimal solutions. PHASE I: The first phase involves preliminary design of the software and a demonstration of motion planning for a three- or four-wheel ODV with a static map and no z-axis control. PHASE II: The second phase consists of a final design and full implementation of the motion planning software. At the end of the contract, a demonstration will involve installing the software on a robotic vehicle and performing full dynamic motion planning through an obstacle course. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III military applications include combat, reconnaissance, and supply vehicles for off-road mobility applications. Phase III commercial applications include planetary rovers, police surveillance, fire fighting, hazardous waste monitoring and removal, and remote security operations. REFERENCES: 1) J. C. Latombe, Robot Motion Planning, Kluwer Boston, MA (1991). 2) A. Stentz, "Map-Based Strategies for Robot Navigation in Unknown Environments," Proc. AAAI Spring Symposium on Planning with Incomplete Information for Robot Problems, March (1996). 3) J. Barraquand, L. E. Kavraki, J. C. Latombe, T.Y. Li, R. Motwani, and P. Raghavan, "A Random Sampling Scheme for Path Planning," Int. J. of Robotics Research 16(6) 759-74 (1997). 4) P. Isto, "A Two-level Search Algorithm for Motion Planning," Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE Press, 2025-31 (1997). 5) L. E. Kavraki and J. C. Latombe, "Probabilistic Roadmaps for Robot Path Planning," Practical Motion Planning in Robotics: Current Approaches and Future Directions, eds K. Gupta and A. del Pobil, John Wiley, 33-53 (1998). D. Hsu, R. Kindel, J.C. Latombe, S. Rock, "Randomized Kinodynamic Motion Planning with Moving Obstacles," to appear in Int. J. of Robotics Research (2001). KEYWORDS: path planning, motion planning, robotics, unmanned ground vehicle Directory: osbp -> SBIR -> solicitations solicitations -> Army sbir 09. 1 Proposal submission instructions dod small Business Innovation (sbir) Program solicitations -> Navy sbir fy09. 1 Proposal submission instructions solicitations -> Army 16. 3 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Air force 12. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Army 14. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Navy small business innovation research program submitting Proposals on Navy Topics solicitations -> Navy small business innovation research program solicitations -> Armament research, development and engineering center solicitations -> Army 17. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions solicitations -> Navy 11. 3 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions Download 1.78 Mb. 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