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Briefs Materials
Testing Silver-Coated Nylon Fibers as Electrical Conductors
Tests have been performed in an effort to gain understanding of electrical and mechanical properties of silver-coated nylon fibers subjected to stresses and strains and exposed to...
Briefs Materials
Kinetic Modeling of Laser-Induced D-T Fusion
A computational- simulation study was performed to assess the feasibility of laser-induced fusion of deuterium nuclei with tritium nuclei as a means of generating neutrons for use in neutron...
Briefs Materials
Progress in Design and Synthesis of Nanostructured Materials
A five-and-a-half-year integrated multidisciplinary research project has been characterized by three themes pertinent to the development of advanced materials having tailorable...
Briefs Materials
GOx/CNT/Silica Composites for Bioelectrodes
Composites of glucose oxidase (GOx), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and biologically synthesized silica have been synthesized and tested. These composites are prototypes of biological/electrical interfacial...
Briefs Materials
Dimensional Stabilization of Composite Space Structures
A research project has yielded progress on several fronts toward the goal of minimizing thermal and aging distortions of composite-material (specifically, polymer- matrix/graphite-fiber)...
Briefs Materials
Gold-Based Nanoparticle Liquids for Electronic Applications
Electrically conductive, solventless nanoparticle liquids, consisting of gold nanoparticles chemically functionalized with large organic molecular groups, have been investigated for...
Briefs Materials
Incorporating Functional Fillers into Silicone Elastomer Systems
Silicones can be developed into fluids, gels, adhesives, elastomers, and resins designed with unique properties that make them ideal for specific application uses in the defense...
Briefs Materials
Some Advances in High-Temperature Superconductor Coatings
Several advances were made in a program focused on the science and technology of high-temperature superconductors [especially yttrium barium copper oxide ("YBCO")] deposited on normal electrical conductors. This program was part of a continuing effort to develop superconductor-coated normal...
Briefs Materials
Less-Polluting Resins for Molding Composite Structures
Liquid resins that are suitable for use in molding composite- material structural panels and that contain and emit smaller amounts of air-polluting volatile organic compounds than do...
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 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...
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
Continuous Carbon Nanofibers for Structural Composites
A program of research has addressed key issues in the production of continuous carbon nanofibers and the utilization of carbon nanofibers as the reinforcing components in matrix/fiber...
Briefs Physical Sciences
Castable, Relatively Stiff Acoustic-Damping Materials
A recently invented family of acoustic-damping materials offers advantages over prior acoustic-damping materials:
Briefs Sensors/Data Acquisition
Low-Water-Permeability Encapsulants for Acoustic Sensors
Afamily of improved encapsulating materials for protecting underwater acoustic sensors has been invented. These materials could also be used for encapsulation or protective coating of...
Briefs Materials
Improved Dielectric-Breakdown Property of POSS-Filled Epoxy
A n experimental study has shown that the AC short-term dielectric breakdown potential of material specimens consisting of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles...
Briefs Materials
Alloys for Nozzles of Hypersonic Wind Tunnels
Alloys are being developed for nozzles of hypersonic wind tunnels to be used in testing components of future hypersonic missiles, aircraft, and space transportation systems. The nozzle components...
Briefs Materials
Self-Lubrication of Hot YSZ-Ag-Mo Nanocomposite Coatings
An experimental study has been performed to learn about the physical and chemical mechanisms of self-lubrication of coatings that comprise nanostructured composites of yttria-stabilized...
Briefs Sensors/Data Acquisition
Photonic Analog-to-Digital Converters
Early steps have been taken toward the development of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that would incorporate photonic quantizers based on the technology of InP semiconductors. These photonic ADCs are...
Briefs Sensors/Data Acquisition
Solid-State Viscosity Sensors For Military and Aerospace Applications
Embedded OEM application markets such as the military and aerospace industries are experiencing a growing demand for sensors that provide instantaneous and continuous process...
Briefs Materials
Nanoparticle AlxMoyOz/Al Thermites
Research on the microstructures, chemical compositions, and reactivities of thermites that consist of or contain mixtures of MoO3 and Al particles has led to development of a process for making thermites that...
Briefs Materials
Polymeric “Smart” Skin Materials
"Smart” skin materials based, variously, on polymers, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and/or other tailored molecular components are being developed for use as conformal coating surfaces of mechanical structures, including those of aircraft, to impart enhanced functionality to the coated surfaces. As used here,...
Briefs Materials
Innovations Pertaining to Carbon-Based Materials
Some notable innovations in the design and manufacture of carbonbased materials have been made in a continuing program of basic research on carbon- based materials for use in propulsion systems of aircraft and spacecraft. The research has ranged over diverse topics that have included fabrication of...
Briefs Materials
Measuring Glucose Using pH-Sensitive Hydrogels
Sensors that exploit pH-sensitive hydrogels for measuring concentrations of glucose in aqueous solutions are undergoing development. Because the underlying chemical and physical principles are also...
Briefs Materials
Plasma-Spray Coating as an Alternative to Chromium Plating
Plasma-spray application of coating materials that include tungsten carbide has been investigated as an alternative to electroplating of hard chromium onto internal metal surfaces that...
Briefs Materials
Accelerated Evaluation of Properties of Polyphase Alloys
A methodology for accelerated evaluation of mechanical properties of polyphase alloys is based on digital representations of the alloys. For a given alloy material system, this...
Briefs Materials
Metamaterials for Advanced Microwave Antennas
A report discusses a research and development project that has made contributions to the art of metamaterials for directing electromagnetic radiation at frequencies of the order of several gigahertz. The next-generation metamaterials expected to emerge from this and related projects could enormously...
Briefs Materials
Integrated Aircraft Oxygen Sensor
Shortly after its takeoff from New York City on July 17, 1996, Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean and crashed. The accident investigation board determined that the center wing fuel tank caught fire and exploded. Although the ignition source remains unknown, it was unquestionably...
Briefs Materials
Friction Stir Welding of Aerospace Materials
AFRL scientists are studying a unique metal joining process— friction stir welding (FSW)—for building major structural assemblies. FSW is a solid-state welding process that forces a spinning tool...
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