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Briefs Materials
High-Strain-Rate Tests of Epoxy/Aluminum-Powder Composites
Initial tests have been performed in a continuing experimental study to determine selected mechanical properties, at high strain rates, of an epoxy and of composite materials consisting...
Briefs Materials
High-Temperature Resins for Composite Materials
Improved, readily processable thermosetting polymer resins are being developed for use as matrix materials in composite-material structures in applications in which there are requirements for...
Tech Transfer Reports Photonics/Optics
Mirror-Steering System Eliminates Vibration in Optical Devices
For optical systems used in communications and instrumentation applications in space and on the ground, eliminating vibration can be a difficult task. Left Hand Design Corp. (LHDC,...
Briefs Materials
Making Ultra-Hydrophobic Textured Silicone-Rubber Surfaces
Silicone-rubber surfaces microscopically textured in such a manner as to render them ultra-hydrophobic have been fabricated by a method in which breath figures are utilized. Originally,...
Briefs Electronics & Computers
Time Coding of Asynchronously Transmitted Multi-Source Data
A method of time coding of asynchronously transmitted data from multiple sources has been invented. The method is especially applicable to a data-acquisition and transfer system that...
Briefs Electronics & Computers
Quantum Network Testbed
A document describes the world’s first quantum network testbed — an Internet-compatible fiber-optic data-communication network that is kept extremely secure by use of encryption with quantum key distribution (QKD). The testbed, located in the Boston metropolitan area, includes ten nodes, of which four run continuously...
Briefs Electronics & Computers
Monitoring and Charging System for a High-Power Battery
Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram showing (1) a high-power rechargeable battery comprising multiple series-connected modules, each module containing multiple series-connected...
Briefs Photonics/Optics
Advances in Materials for Photonic Applications
Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio Aprogram of research has addressed multiple topics in the design, development, characterization, and utilization of new...
Briefs Photonics/Optics
Compact Megawatt Infrared Free-Electron Laser Amplifier
A proposed high-gain free-electron laser (FEL) amplifier, conceived primarily for use in a maritime environment, would be capable of average output power of the order of a megawatt at one...
Briefs Manufacturing & Prototyping
Inexpensive Free-Form Fabrication of Titanium-Alloy Parts
A continuing effort to devise relatively inexpensive means of manufacturing titanium-alloy parts has been focused on a free-form fabrication approach. As used here, “free-form...
Briefs Manufacturing & Prototyping
Advances in Fabrication of Nanoscale Devices
Some advances have recently been made on several fronts in a continuing effort to develop of means of fabricating electronic and magnetic devices having dimensions of the order of tens to hundreds of...
Briefs Manufacturing & Prototyping
Experiments in Vacuum Brazing of Titanium
An experimental study of vacuum brazing of titanium and of the effects of changes in brazing alloys and brazing process conditions has been performed. [As used here, “titanium” signifies both...
Briefs Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Simulations of Brush Contacts of Homopolar Motor/Generators
A computational- simulation study of distributions of electric current and temperature in brushes and slip rings in two model homopolar- motor/generator configurations was performed in...
Briefs Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Generic Miniature Airplane for Research and Development
The Air Force Research Laboratory has promulgated the geometrical design of a miniature airplane denoted the Generic Micro Aerial Vehicle (GENMAV). This design is intended to serve as a...
Briefs Physical Sciences
Measuring Skin Friction in Complex Flows That Include Shocks
A methodology for measuring skin friction (also known as wall shear) in complex flows typical of those inside supersonic-combustion ramjet (scramjet) engines has been developed. The...
Briefs Photonics/Optics
Miniaturized GPS Controlled-Reception-Pattern Antenna Array
A miniaturized Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna array is being developed for use on aircraft on which the room available for installation of this or any other equipment is...
Briefs Physical Sciences
Biologically Inspired Processing of Image and Sound Data
A report describes progress in a research program oriented toward developing artificial-intelligence capabilities for processing images and sounds in changing environments. This research focuses on extending the state of the art in mid-level processing of visual and auditory signals,...
Products
Silicone Cables
Cicoil Corp., Valencia, CA, offers Flexible Flat Cable assemblies for fighter and other military aircraft applications including targeting pods, fuel control systems, and missile gimbal and guidance systems. The silicone cables...
Products
Wireless Spread- Spectrum Radio
FreeWave Technologies, Boulder, CO, has released the MM2 small form factor 900-MHz radio. The MM2 measures 50.8 × 31.5 × 9.6 mm. The radio has a GAsFET RF front end with a combination of overload immunity and sensitivity. The radio is suited for advanced military equipment where space is at a premium, such as...
Products
FPGA-Based XMC Module
Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing, Leesburg, VA, has released the XMC-442 Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA-based XMC module compute engine designed for signal and image processing applications, including radar, sonar, and...
Products
Rugged Electronic Enclosures
Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions, Brockton, MA, announces the 709 Series of air-cooled rugged electronic enclosures for computer cards in the harsh environments of shipboard and land-based military applications....
Products
Line Conditioning Module
The VPTPCM-12 Series pre-conditioning power module from VPT, Blacksburg, VA, works within a DC-DC power system to suppress transient voltages and create a reliable power output of up to 120W. The module offers a...
Products
FPGA Modules
Acromag, Wixom, MI, has released the PMC-CX series of user-configurable FPGA (field-programmable gate array) modules, which feature conduction cooling and differential digital I/O. The four new models feature XilinxÆ Virtex-II FPGAs with either 11k or 24k logic cells and a choice of 32 differential RS-422/485 lines or 24 RS-422/485...
Products
Hybrid Vehicle Test Systems
SAKOR Technologies, Okemos, MI, has released the HybriDyne™ Series of hybrid vehicle driveline test systems. The HybriDyne calibrates the performance, efficiency, and durability of hybrid drivetrain systems,...
Products
Outdoor Housing for Dome Cameras
Dotworkz, San Diego, CA, has launched the D2™ environmental housing that provides protection to PTZ dome cameras from the rigors of outdoor use and physical damage. The D2 is compatible with 99% of analog and...
Products
Digital Switch Matrices
The Electronics Group of Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Redmond, WA, has released its Model 1130 and Model 1120 digital switch matrices that are configured to accommodate up to 144 inputs and 144 outputs that can be...
Articles Energy
Energy Storage for Hybrid Military Vehicles
The benefits of hybrid electric vehicles have been recognized by the U.S. Army and other military services. As a consequence, hybrid vehicles are being considered as future combat and tactical...
Articles Unmanned Systems
Update on NASA’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
In the August issue of Defense Tech Briefs, we highlighted NASA’s Altair/Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for Earth science missions. A lot has happened in the past two months, so we’re...
Articles Aerospace
SpaceWire: The Standard for Aerospace Communications
Developed in 1999 under the auspices of the European Space Agency, SpaceWire answered a longstanding spaceflight problem: no standard, high-speed communications protocol existed for flight...
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Webcasts
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SAE Automotive Engineering Podcast: Additive Manufacturing
Information Technology
A New Approach to Manufacturing Machine Connectivity for the Air Force
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Optimizing Production Processes with the Virtual Twin
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How Packet Digital Is Scaling Domestic Drone Battery Manufacturing
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Advancements in Zinc Die Casting Technology & Alloys for Next-Generation...