Alliant Techsystems Inc.

Orbital Atk, Inc.

Innoveering, LLC

Nicholas Tiliakos

Anthony Gus Castrogiovanni

George Papadopoulos

Daniel Tilmont

Daniel Bivolaru

Joseph A Alifano

Clint D Thomson

Vincenzo Verrelli

Gabriel Benel

Akiva A Sklar

This disclosure relates to systems and methods detecting a change in pressure, wall shear flow, or both. The method includes generating DC plasma having an electrical field based on an input DC voltage and a DC current, detecting changes to the electrical field, and identifying a change in wall shear flow, pressure, or both based on the change in the electrical field when the DC plasma is disposed in a flow field.

Plasma-based electro-optical sensing and methods

A combustor including a housing, an injector body, insulation, an air/fuel premix injector, a hot surface igniter, a fuel injector and a burner. The housing forms a main combustion chamber. The injector body is coupled within the housing and the injector body includes an initial combustion chamber. The insulation lines the initial combustion chamber. The air/fuel premix injector is configured and arranged to dispense a flow of air/fuel mixture into the initial combustion chamber. The hot surface igniter is configured and arranged to heat up and ignite the air/fuel mixture in the initial combustion chamber. The fuel injector dispenses a flow of fuel and the burner dispenses a flow of air. The flow of fuel from the fuel injector and the flow of air from the burner are ignited in the main combustion chamber by the ignition of the air/fuel mixture in the initial combustion chamber.

High pressure combustor with hot surface ignition

A non-intrusive sensor for in-situ measurement of recession rate of heat shield ablatives. An ultrasonic wave source is carried in the housing. A microphone is also carried in the housing, for collecting the reflected ultrasonic waves from an interface surface of the ablative material. A time phasing control circuit is also included for time-phasing the ultrasonic wave source so that the waves reflected from the interface surface of the ablative material focus on the microphone, to maximize the acoustic pressure detected by the microphone and to mitigate acoustic velocity variation effects through the material through a de-coupling process that involves a software algorithm. A software circuit for computing the location off of which the ultrasonic waves scattered to focus back at the microphone is also included, so that the recession rate of the heat shield ablative may be monitored in real-time through the scan-focus approach.

Non-intrusive sensor for in-situ measurement of recession rate of ablative and eroding materials

Adaptive structures, systems incorporating such adaptive structures and related methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an adaptive structure is provided that includes a first structure and at least one microstructure associated with the first structure. The at least one microstructure may include a microscale beam configured to be displaced relative to the first structure upon the adaptive structure being exposed to a specified temperature. The beam may be formed, for example, of a metallic material, of multiple different metallic materials, or of a shape memory alloy. In one embodiment, a plurality of the adaptive structures may be associated with micropores of a skin panel. The adaptive structures may be utilized to control the flow rate of a coolant or other fluid through the micropores responsive to a sensed environmental parameter such as, for example, temperature.

Adaptive structures, systems incorporating same and related methods

Adaptive structures, systems incorporating such adaptive structures and related methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an adaptive structure is provided that includes a first structure and at least one microstructure associated with the first structure. The at least one microstructure may include a microscale beam configured to be displaced relative to the first structure upon the adaptive structure being exposed to a specified temperature. The beam may be formed for example, of a metallic material, of multiple different metallic materials, or of a shape memory alloy. In one embodiment, a plurality of the adaptive structures may be associated with micropores of a skin panel. The adaptive structures may be utilized to control the flow rate of a coolant or other fluid through the micropores responsive to a sensed environmental parameter such as, for example, temperature.

Growing community of inventors

Huntington Station, NY, United States of America

Nicholas Tiliakos