Type of Award: STTR Phase I and Phase II with Funded Enhancement Subcontractors: Purdue Contract Numbers: M67004-99-C-0044 and M67854-00-C-3047 Agency: U.S. Marine Corp Status: Completed Periods: 7/13/99 to 6/13/00 and 5/23/00 to 8/31/03 Principal Investigator: E. A. Walters Abstract: The primary objective of the Phase I effort was to determine the feasibility of a heterogeneous modeling environment for the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV). This has been clearly established. In particular, a method of connecting any number of independent time-domain simulations has been developed and used to demonstrate a detailed heterogeneous computer simulation of the salient components of the AAAV electric power system. The primary objective of the Phase II effort is to establish a flexible and powerful distributed modeling and analysis environment for the AAAV electrical power system that can be used to evaluate design alternatives, predict performance characteristics during normal and abnormal (e.g. battle damage) conditions, and serve as a simulation testbed for future design modifications. This facility will reduce engineering and development costs, identify optimum design choices, and avoid unanticipated problems during development and fielding of the AAAV, thereby increasing affordability over its life cycle. Specific tasks to be performed include: the development and validation of a detailed heterogeneous end-to-end simulation of the AAAV electric power system, the development of a multi-level visualization and control interface, the investigation of high-speed computational clusters to improve the computational speed, and the investigation of multi- and parallel rate integration...
Read MoreAero Propulsion and Power Technology
Type of Awards: SBIR Phase I and Phase II with Funded Enhancements Subcontractors: Purdue Contract Numbers: F33615-03-M-2385 and FA8650-04-C-2482 Agency: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Status: Completed Periods: 7/10/03 to 4/10/04 and 6/4/04 to 2/24/09 Principal Investigator: E. A. Walters Abstract: PC Krause and Associates, Inc. (PCKA) has developed two key technologies in modeling, simulation, and analysis for support of the design and optimization of large-scale systems. The first of these key technologies is a partitioned finite-element (FE) technique wherein computation times for transient FE models have been reduced by two-orders of magnitude when compared to a commercial FE simulator and has been applied to permanent-magnet, switched-reluctance, and wound-rotor synchronous machines. This increase in computational speed has enabled FE models to be integrated with circuit simulations as part of a design optimization algorithm wherein tradeoffs can be rapidly evaluated in a systematic search for a globally optimal design. The second technology is a variable-fidelity multi-physics simulation infrastructure that enables the user to select between finite-element models that may require hours to days of simulation time through constructive (algebraic) models that may execute hundreds to thousands of times faster than real...
Read MoreVirtual Prototyping Vehicle Electrical System Management Design Tool
Type of Awards: SBIR Phase I and Phase II Subcontractors: Purdue Contract Numbers: W56HZV-04-C-0126 and W56HZV-04-C-0713 Agency: U.S. Army Tank Command Status: Completed Periods: 3/2/04 to 9/2/04 and 11/4/04 to 5/4/07 Principal Investigator: C. E. Lucas Abstract: Complex engineered systems such as the power systems of tactical vehicles and advanced weapon systems involve a broad spectrum of technologies and interactive subsystems that must work synergistically. Due to the interdependencies between subsystems and he ever present re-design process, it is becoming increasingly important to establish a flexible virtual prototyping design and analysis infrastructure that facilitates the investigation of interactions between subsystems and promotes the collaboration between individual groups and organizations involved in the design, analysis, and/or development of complex “systems of systems.” Moreover, this type of simulation infrastructure would provide system integrators and program managers with a rapid and easy-to-use means of establishing proof-of-concept for new systems, evaluating competitive system configurations or architectures at a system level and, after the candidate architecture is selected and a more detailed design phase is entered, tracking and managing the progress of the detailed system design. Such an infrastructure could also be useful throughout the life cycle of a military platform for analyzing potential field problems, evaluating technology enhancements/retrofits, and/or personnel training. The proof-of-concept and viability of such a capability were established in Phase I. The Phase II research will be focused upon the next steps in the development of this virtual prototyping vehicle electrical system management design...
Read MoreIntegrated Simulation/Design/Analysis Infrastructure for SiC-based High-Temperature Power Conversion
Type of Awards: SBIR Phase I with IEDC and Phase II Contract Numbers: FA8650-05-M-2599 and FA8650-06-C-2663 Agency: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Status: Completed Periods: 4/1/05 to 1/1/06 and 5/5/06 to 9/5/08 Principal Investigator: C. E. Lucas Abstract: In order to realize the full potential of Silicon Carbide and to facilitate its deployment in high-temperature power electronics applications, it is important to establish an integrated modeling, simulation, and analysis (MS&A) infrastructure to address the special considerations and numerous technical challenges that must be overcome and to support design at the device, subsystem, and system levels. The viability of such an infrastructure has been established in the on-going Phase I research. The overall objective of the proposed Phase II research is to further its development. In particular, the proposed Phase II effort entails: (1) the continued development of a distributed multi-level (device/subsystem/system) integrated (electrical/thermal) MS&A infrastructure to support SiC device development and their application to Air Force systems, (2) the investigation of how SiC device performance is affected by thermal and material properties and how defects influence thermal-electrical coupling, (3) the partitioning of the geometric physics-based device models for implementation in a distributed computer network, and (4) the investigation of the applicability of this powerful MS&A infrastructure to other areas of interest such as computational fluid dynamics, plasma physics, and...
Read MoreA Noninvasive Sensor/Control Suite for Health Monitoring and Extended Life of Aircraft Generation Systems
Type of Awards: STTR Phase I and Phase II Contract Numbers: N00014-06-M-0281and N68335-08-C-0108 Agency: U.S. Naval Air Systems Command Status: On Going Periods: 08/01/06 to 8/30/07 and 2/25/08 to 2/25/10 Principal Investigator: E. A. Walters Abstract: Catastrophic failures in aircraft electrical power systems can compromise the readiness, safety, and capabilities of the war-fighter. In this effort, a multi-physics suite of tools will be developed based upon the successful Phase I research to provide a comprehensive prognostics and health management system (PHM) for aircraft generators and associated electrical systems. The PHM will be based upon a set of recently developed tools that include a novel sensor to measure torque-ripple-induced vibration created by electric machinery, a thermal condition monitor that can predict the temperatures within an electric machine under healthy and damaged operation, and numerical simulation tools that enable rapid development and solution of component and system-level models of electric machinery and power electronic systems operated in fault conditions. Validation of the PHM concepts and the computer simulations used will be performed with hardware using an F-18 generator as the test...
Read MoreDesign, Analysis and Optimization Environment for Directed Energy Systems
Type of Awards: SBIR Phase I with IEDC and Phase II Contract Numbers: FA9451-07-M-0082 and FA9451-08-C-0058 Agency: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Status: On Going Periods: 3/14/07 to 3/03/08 and 3/12/08 to 3/02/11 Principal Investigator: B. P. Loop Abstract: The primary objective of the proposed work is to develop a directed energy system analysis and design environment. This analysis and design environment will be based upon Distributed Heterogeneous Simulation (DHS) and Distributed Heterogeneous Optimization (DHO) technology. DHS allows the interconnection of models developed in different simulation languages running on different computing platforms to form an integrated system simulation. DHO is a distributed multi-objective optimization environment tailored for system design. The Phase II effort will focus on creating directed energy component model library, developing a system model translator, and incorporating high-power microwave device models into a simulation of the electric power system. The capabilities of the proposed design environment will be demonstrated, and effort toward the transition of the tool to government and industry will be carried out. PCKA will collaborate with Lockheed Martin and the Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory to identify directed energy applications of...
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