The Effect of Process Parameters on the Structural Energetic Properties of Additively Manufactured Reactive Structures

This paper investigates the ability of an aluminum-fluoropolymer energetic material to act as a multifunctional energetic structural material (MESM). The mechanical properties of the material were determined by performing quasi-static tensile testing of 3D printed dogbones. Samples were prepared with and without particle loading, as well as with different print directions, in order to gain a fundamental understanding of how these parameters affect the mechanical properties of the material. Larger truss samples were printed in order to simulate realistic structural elements. Samples were printed in different directions and burned to determine this parameter’s effect on the combustion performance of the material. The aluminum polyvinylidene fluoride mixtures considered were shown to have viable structural capabilities as well as sufficient combustion performance. The structural energetic capabilities of the formulations considered, paired with the material’s ability to be 3D printed, could enable a number of interesting applications in the aerospace and defense industry.

Disruptive Innovation in Aerospace and Defense in Indian MSME

Various movements in the Indian aerospace and defense industry indicate that the forces of disruptive innovation have been set in motion by the Government of India with signals of change in the industry, thereby nudging it toward disruption. This case studies one such company from the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector in pursuit of disruptive innovation in the Indian aerospace and defense industry. This case introduces and explains in detail the factors of disruptive innovation in aerospace and defense industry. It gives an inside view of Indian MSME’s environmental and internal situations in the Indian aerospace and defense industry and the problems faced by an entrepreneur who is looking for using technology to create disruption in industry.

Enabling Interoperability through the Ship Life Cycle

Shipyards are increasingly responsible for the life cycle support of ships, including maintenance and logistics data over the life of the ship. Hence, it has become important for shipyards to efficiently integrate acquisition product model data with the lifecycle support product model data. The use of Integrated Data Environments (IDE) for Navy ship programs has fostered the integration of design, logistics, and production information for the ship. However, it has not been possible to exchange this integrated data set; rather, different data is typically transferred at different times often resulting in inconsistency. The Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS) STEP standard (ISO 10303-239) for logistics data and life cycle support provides the capability to exchange logistics data linked back to design data. The standard was developed and has been implemented by the aerospace and defense industry. The ISE-6 project demonstrated the feasibility of using the PLCS standard for naval shipbuilding. This approach should also enable interoperability of life cycle data with other defense programs. The ISE-6 team mapped naval shipbuilding requirements into PLCS, while preserving compatibility with existing PLCS implementations. A unique feature was the automated mapping via template expansion and identification. The ISE-6 team conducted a demonstration of this capability, exchanging data between two Integrated Data Environments (IDE) and a Knowledge Management tool, which was used to modify and update the data for the receiving IDE. During the next phase of the project, the ISE-6 team will be investigating interoperability using the S1000D Specification for the procurement and production of technical publications.