NEW CANOPY/WINDSHIELD DESIGN TO EXTEND LIFE OF COCKPIT DISPLAYS

A PHASE I PROGRAM IS PROPOSED TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF USING PHOTOCHROMIC DYES PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED FOR THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS TO ACHIEVE PASSIVE SOLAR CONTROL CHAMCTERISTICS IN AIRCRAFT COCKPIT TRANSPARENCIES. THE PHOTOCHROMIC RESPONSE TO SUNLIGHT WOULD CAUSE THE TRANSMITTANCE OF THE TRANSPARENCY TO VARY WITH SUNLIGHT INTENSITY. LIGHT LEVELS ENTERING THE COCKPIT UNDER BRILLIANT SUNLIGHT CONDITIONS WOULD BE REDUCED AND DIE READABILITY OF CRT DISPLAYS WOULD BE IMPROVED, ELIMINATING THE NECESSITY OF OPERATING THEM AT HIGH POWER LEVELS. THE RESPONSE OF PHOTOCHROMIC DYES INCORPORATED INTO SAMPLES REPRESENTATIVE OF SELECTED AIRCRAFT TRANSPARENCY CROSS-SECTIONS WILL BE SUBJECTED TO REALISTIC SOLAR EXPOSURES AND THE TRANSMITTANCE RESPONSES WILL BE MEASURED AND ANALYZED. THE RESULTANT COMPILATION OF DATA WILL PROVIDE A MEANINGFUL ASSESSMENT OF THE FEASIBILITY OF THE APPROACH. A TEST FIXTURE FOR CYCLICAL EXPOSURE OF PREPARED SAMPLES TO NATURAL SUNLIGHT, ALONG WITH THE WELL-DEVELOPED PHOTOCHROMIC DYES AND REALISTIC HOST TRANSPARENCY DESIGN CROSS-SECTIONS WILL ASSURE THAT DIE RESULTANT CONCLUSIONS ARE VALID AND WILL FORM A BASIS FOR PHASE II ACTIVITIES. A PHASE II PROGRAM WOULD EXTEND THE TESTING TO INCLUDE ACCELERATED AGING, PHYSICAL PROPERTY TESTS OF LAMINATED TRANSPARENCIES, EFFORTS TO VERIFY COMPATIBILITY OF THE DYES WILL FULL SCALE PROCESS CONDITIONS AND ANALYTICAL MODELING OF THE OPTICAL RESPONSES.