NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

The main objectives of this research are to design, analyze, fabricate, and test intelligent composite active structures and
systems to provide simultaneous precision position and vibration suppression control capabilities for military and space
structures to enhance their structural performance and reduce their fuel consumption. These simultaneous vibration
suppression and precision positioning capabilities, for mission performance enhancement, are achieved by using wellintegrated
sensors/actuators/controllers where the host structures will be constructed mainly from composite materials that are
lightweight and strong. Adaptive or intelligent structures which have the capability for sensing and responding to their
environment promise a unique approach to solving numerous problems of spacecraft such as fighter jets and helicopters, smart
rockets, satellites, space stations, unmanned underwater/aerial vehicles, and submarines. Intelligent sensors and actuators in
combination with robust control system and composite materials as host structure are lightweight, increase structural
efficiency, provide thermal stability, and monitor and respond dynamically to external stimuli. For spacecraft, these properties
mean increased range, payload, and reduced fuel consumption as well as enhanced performance and reliability through internal
control of the materials and host structures. The adaptive structures developed in this work can also be used for sensitive
equipment and devices, e.g., aboard of aircraft and spacecraft as well as their structures to provide them with precision
positioning as well as vibration suppression capabilities, and hence drastically improve their performance.
DTIC
Adaptation; Composite Structures; Control; Damping; Positioning; Smart Structures
20060002343 ISRO Satellite Centre, Peenya, Bangalore, India
Development of Light Weight Structure for Technology Experiment Satellite (TES)
Badari Narayana, K.; Subba Rao, P.; Basha, S. K. J.; Muralidhar, K. V.; Joseph, Thomas K.; Kamat, Shivanand M.; Navalgund,
K. H.; Varghese, C. S.; Journal of Spacecraft Technology, Volume 15, No. 2; July 2005, pp. 10-18; In English; See also
20060002338; Copyright; Avail.: Other Sources
The current trend in aerospace applications is to use high stiffness and strength composite materials in place of aluminum
alloys, and growth is more focused on the use of sandwich constructions in aerospace applications. These constructions help
to provide higher strength-to-weight and high stiffness-to-weight and greater stability to structures. A step in this direction is
the development of all Al-sandwich construction bus for the Technology Experiment Satellite (TES}. This article gives a brief
summary of the basic design/analysis, fabrication process and tests carried out on the structure flight models of TES. The
results of analysis/tests carried out at various stages of development and the flight structural models are discussed. This design
and development of Al-sandwich structures paved the way for the development of the more efficient sandwich structures made
of CFRP, used in GSAT-II [I], GSAT-III and IRS-PS subsequently.
Author
Aerospace Engineering; Composite Materials; Design Analysis; Construction; Sandwich Structures
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INORGANIC, ORGANIC AND PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
Includes the analysis, synthesis, and use of inorganic and organic compounds; combustion theory; electrochemistry; and
photochemistry. For related information see category 34 Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics. For astrochemistry see category 90
Astrophysics.
20060001773 Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC USA
General Atomics Smart Microsensors - FY05 Laboratory Fire Test Results
Hammond, Mark H.; Rose-Pehrsson, Susan L.; Gottuk, Daniel T.; Lynch, James A.; Tillett, Duane; Streckert, Holger H.;
Williams, Frederick W.; Oct. 31, 2005; 34 pp.; In English; Original contains color illustrations
Contract(s)/Grant(s): N00014-03-WX-20800
Report No.(s): AD-A440173; NRL/MR/6110-05-8924; No Copyright; Avail.: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
This report describes the cermet sensors and system control software recently evaluated in laboratory tests for shipboard
damage control. The tests were conducted to generate a database of sensor responses to fire and nuisance sources for algorithm
development, and to develop fire detection alarm algorithms. In this work, the cermet sensors incorporate four sensors with
multivariate analysis methods and classification algorithms for detecting a wide variety of analytes, including toxic industrial
chemicals, fires, and nuisance sources. The test series successfully demonstrated the functionality and performance of the
microsensor system for use in fire detection. The detection system demonstrated the ability to detect flaming and smoldering
fires at the same level as the commercial multicriteria detector. It was on average 2.5 to 5. 5 minutes faster for smoldering fires
versus all detector types evaluated, and 50 to 80 seconds faster for flaming fires versus multicriteria and photoelectric
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