SMART MATERIALS FOR ARMY STRUCTURES

THIS PROPOSAL IS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING A NEW GENERATION OF REVOLUTIONARY SMART COMPOSITE STRUCTURES INCORPORATING EMBEDDED HYBRID MULTIPLE ACTUATION SYSTEMS WHICH CAPITALIZE ON THE DIVERSE STRENGTHS OF BOTH ELECTRO-RHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS AND PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS, AND EMPLOY FIBER-OPTIC SENSING SYSTEMS. THE GOAL OF PHASE I IS TO EVALUATE THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN THIS CLASS OF HYBRID SMART MATERIALS, AND TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF EXPLOITING THESE MATERIALS TO DEVELOP A NEW GENERATION OF ARMY VEHICLES AND ROTORCRAFT SYSTEMS, LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURES AND MACHINERY. SMART ARMY SYSTEMS WILL FEATURE TREMENDOUS CAPABILITIEE TO REDUCE SHOCK AND VIBRATION AND, SENSE BATTLE-FIELD DAMAGE, WHILE DEMONSTRATING EFFECTIVE MAINTENANCE AND LIFE-PREDICTION CAPABILITIES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY BENEFIT OTHER NATIONAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS INCLUDING THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE AND THE NATIONAL AEROSPACE PLANE. PHASE II WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART ROTORCRAFT SYSTEM DEMONSTRATOR WHICH CAN RESPOND AUTONOMOUSLY TO UNSTRUCTURED ENVIRONMENTS, AND CHANGES IN AERODYNAMIC LOADING, PAYLOADS, SPEEDS AND AMBIENT HYGROTHERMAL CONDITIONS. THE SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF THE QUANTUM RESEARCH TEAM IN THE AREA OF SMART MATERIALS HAS ALREADY CULMINATED IN THE AWARD OF AN ARO INNOVATIVE RESEARCH GRANT AND TWO DOD CONTRACTS DURING 1988-90. THE QUANTUM TEAM HAS CAPITALIZED ON THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO INITIATE THREE COLLABORATIVE VENTURES WHICH WILL TRANSITION FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH DISCOVERIES INTO SMART COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS.