US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Other

Paul J Cote

Mark A Johnson

Joseph Carter

Mark Todaro

Sara Lorene Makowiec

Gay Kendall

A system and associated method for quickly and automatically determining if the safety and performance of a gun tube have been compromised by firing damage or by an excessive number of fatigue cycles. An electromagnetic resonant cavity inspection provides a means of rapidly evaluating the health of the gun tube by monitoring the resonant frequencies that evolve from microwave signals introduced into the cavity or bore of the gun tube. This approach exploits the high sensitivity of the electromagnetic cavity resonance phenomena. Defects and degradation in the structure's cavity produce quantifiable changes in the quality factor, frequency shifts, and mode splitting.

System and method for conducting electromagnetic resonant cavity inspection of gun barrels

An apparatus and method for evaluating thermal barrier coating material on a surface of a part or component that is subjected to transient heat/thermal cycles. A pulsed laser heating apparatus that preferably uses lenses and optical fiber focusing components simulates conditions of brief heating on the test specimen. In the method of the invention, the temporal shape, spatial distribution, and total energy of the laser pulse are designed to produce a spot of uniform illumination and heat absorption on the test specimen that closely approximates the thermal loading that the specimen is expected to receive during use. The test specimen is then examined for thermally induced changes.

Pulsed laser heating simulation of thermal damage on coated surface

A monitor device for monitoring the activity of an individual to provide an alarm for anomalous by the individual. The device includes a triaxial accelerometer adapted to measure simultaneously measure acceleration in three orthogonal, linear axes and generate a voltage output identifying the amplitude and frequency of detected motion by the individual in each axis. Also included is interface electronics for receiving the voltage outputs and buffering the voltage outputs to generate a first reference voltage for each axis of the accelerometer. Amplifier electronics amplifies each voltage output and compares each voltage output to the first reference voltage to produce a digital signal. A microcontroller receives the digital signal to compare it to an adjustable second reference voltage. The microcontroller is programmed to discriminate between normal activity and anomalous activity by identifying sensor activity within sequences of preselected time intervals and sending an alarm signal upon detection of the anomalous activity. An alarm for receiving the alarm signal and signaling an alarm completes the device.

Personal event monitor with linear omnidirectional response

An electronic light source which replaces the hazardous tritium light sou used in the existing Muzzle Reference System (MRS) found on the M1 Series of tanks. The MRS is mounted near the muzzle end of the gun (opposite the breech) and is used by tank gunness to measure gun deflection for calibration of the tank's fire control computer to optimize accuracy. The electronic light source is an LED which is activated by the pulses from a microcontroller based on the input received from a small, low power, omnidirectional motion sensor which detects the movement of the tank mounted on the tank. In the current implementation, the motion sensor comprises a conductive rolling sphere in a cylindrical chamber having a conductive wall with one electrical pole and end plates electrically insulated from the conductive wall and having the other electrical pole such that movement of the element caused by movement of the cylinder will generate intermittent electrical contact between one end plate and the cylinder wall. The signals produced are fed to the microcontroller which through the operation of its oscillator energizes the LED. The oscillator frequency is selected to eliminate EMI detection. The activation of the LED is prepared in such a manner to extend battery lite by minimizing power drain, a thermometer is employed for temperature control of the LED and other electronic circuit elements.

Smart electronic muzzle reference light source

A motion detection device for monitoring patient movement. The device includes a sensor adapted to generate a voltage from mechanical vibrations and a circuit in operable relationship with the voltage for generating an alarm upon detection of a predetermined signal. The circuit provides a fixed impedance to the sensor. A micro controller is used for analyzing the signal to select from first and second conditions by sensing activity within sequences of preselected time intervals. The first condition represents a medical condition and the second condition represents casual motion. A switch is used for setting a time interval and a total sampling time for the micro controller. An alarm signal generates an alarm upon detection by the microprocessor of a predetermined activity. The preferred sensor comprises a housing having an outer shell and a hollow spherical opening therein. A plurality of inner spherical bodies are adapted to move freely inside the spherical opening to produce detectable mechanical vibration in the outer shell. A piezoelectric film is attached to a portion of the outer shell to generate a voltage from the mechanical vibrations.

Personal motion event monitor

The disclosure is of apparatus for determining the transformation characteristics of a metal alloy by treating the alloy to render it austenitic and then monitoring the isothermal decomposition of the austenite by measuring the magnetic change in the alloy.

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Paul J Cote