3 Power and Energy Advances
From consumer electronics to electric vehicles, the operation of modern technologies depends on the reliable supply and precise management of power and energy.
Watch this video to learn more about three power and energy advances developed at Princeton University, Tulane University, and University College London.
Transcript
00:00:08 U.S solid rocket motor r d design and Manufacturing have markedly improved since their Inception in the 1940s however this process has resisted change making the Fielding of new srms a time and resource intensive endeavor [Music] technology demonstration srms typically require 8 to 10 years to realize live fire testing and operational srms can
00:00:41 require up to 20 years for full rate production U.S Supremacy and rocketry is diminishing and adversarial threats are coming of age new methods are needed to accelerate Tech transfer and reduce barriers of entry into commercial firms production on demand seeks to advance four Manufacturing Technologies and
00:01:06 develop an afrl native rapid and flexible SRM prototyping capability the interaction of microfluidic reactor synthesis of precision ingredients resonant acoustic mixing of solid rocket propellant additive manufacturing of solid rock propellant and internal insulation and direct filament winding will afford a precisely controllable rapid prototyping capability for srms
00:01:37 the production on demand program is a three-phase program in Phase One the development efforts in the four SRM technology areas are advanced in a compartmentalized fashion computational modeling and simulation tools will analyze the intended application of the SRM glean the needed specifications and select a design based on those results
00:02:03 once a demonstration threshold is achieved for resonant acoustic mixing 3D printing and direct filament winding integration of the process elements will begin successful integration of the production on demand or pod process elements will utilize machine learning principles require networked communication of equipment and minimize the need for
00:02:27 human labor the process elements work together by first selecting a propellant formulation station a then remotely doses the solid and liquid ingredients for a two pound batch of solid propellant into a container safety concerns are taken into full account during dosing once ingredients are dosed the containers are sealed and
00:02:49 passed to the ram platform for mixing additive manufacturing is utilized to not only print the propellant grain but also to print the motor's nozzle [Music] the 3D printing cobots work in conjunction with one laying down layers of material and the other using a curing device attached to its wrist after each layer is produced an
00:03:19 additional cobot arm scans the surface looking for Flaws that other cobots can repair after printing the propellant grains are transferred to a storage rack and then onto a filament winding shaft in a rare case of human interaction the vertical filament winding machine the operator and a cobot work collaboratively to install the internal
00:03:41 insulation and the composite structural case the completed SRM are removed from final station and is ready for use during the automated manufacturing of the SRM a digital twin is created through the inspection process the Digital model can be used to predict performance and further refine the manufacturing process
00:04:11 in the Final Phase the project redesigned and more advanced amram 5 Rocket Motors will be manufactured by the pilot plant ultimately using those grains the full amram 5 rocket motor will be manufactured by the pilot plant and static fire tested Elsewhere on site the pursuit of solid rocket motor production on demand will mobilize
00:04:40 fortify and stabilize the US rocket motor supply base [Music] it will provide rapid design and Fabrication of customized rockets for any end use requiring specific performance this system will dramatically shorten time to design prototype and acquire new motor designs and improve the safety of
00:05:02 manufacturing for those designs [Music] [Music]