Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Leon Burks, Jr

Kent KinMan Tam

Nicholas T Castellucci

Roger M Heitz

Mark David Brown

A non-destructive, inline, multi-channel fabric conductivity measurement system uses an array of opposing paired transmit/receive microwave horns on opposite sides of a fabric material moving in a production line, each horn pair corresponding to a channel in the system. A processor-based controller can control channel hopping, frequency hopping, and measurement orientation to acquire measurements of material conductivity and anisotropy, which measurements can be analyzed for defects that can be flagged in real time during production. Measurements and/or analyses can be stored to make roll-to-roll, batch-to-batch, day-to-day, or production-phase-to-production-phase comparisons useful in identifying the sources of production problems and/or the causes of corrections.

Inline fabric conductivity measurement

The present process involves forming the following mixtures of ingredients as parts A, B, C, D and E:

Chemically-modified silyl-terminated polythioether-diisocyanate

A methodology for the measurement of the effectiveness of gap filler materials and treatments in radar cross section reduction uses an untreated calibration gap in a plate mounted at an acute angle so that specular reflection from radar illumination is diverted away from the horn antenna while monostatic reflection is returned to the antenna. A dielectric lens is used to focus the radar illumination in a narrow beam width so that edge effects of the plate are minimized, obviating the need for an anechoic facility. A spectral baseline is first determined using an untreated gap after which a relative quantitative test is performed on a treated gap. The antenna and horn may be mounted for motion along the gap to determine the electrical continuity of the gap treatment.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Leon Burks, Jr