Aircraft Aging

Purpose:

To develop the means for evaluating and ensuring safety and reducing the risks associated with aging aircraft structures.

Approach:

There are three main thrust areas:

Structural Design and Integrity.
Maintenance and Inspection.
Automated Safety Analysis and Data Management Systems.

Areas of Principle Interest:

Aircraft Structural Design Modeling.
Corrosion, Effects and Prevention.
Evaluating Airframe Structural Integrity.
Critical Maintenance and Inspection Tasks.
Nondestructive Inspection Equipment (NDI).

Aircraft Hardening Projects

Purpose:

To identify methods to increase aircraft survivability by reducing damage effects caused by a small explosive detonation on a commercial aircraft.

Approach

Determination of the blast loading parameters caused by various explosive types and quantities. Develop models to predict the level of damage caused by the explosive detonation. These models will be developed during explosives testing on aircraft or other test platforms.

Areas of Interest:

Internal detonation hazards including chemical and electrical threats.
External detonation hazards including:
    Air-to-Air and Surface-to-Air threats.
    Projected energy beams.
    Electromagnetic sources.

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Aircraft Safety Projects

Purpose:

To develop new technologies in 4 main areas:

Safe and efficient methods of aircraft operations on and around runaway surfaces.
Improved Visual Control Systems including lighting, signing, and marking materials.
Improved capabilities and cost-effectiveness of airport rescue and firefighting services.
The control of wildlife in the airport environment.

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Runway Surface Technology

Reduce the slipperiness of the pavement surface as a cause of accidents by developing new techniques, materials, procedures, and equipment to remove ice, snow, and rubber deposits and to develop technologies to safely stop all aircraft.

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Visual Guidance

Develop "Control" technology system for aircraft movement on airport surfaces and state-of-the-art light sources and applications including:

Fiber Optics.
Laser sources.
Holographic Imaging techniques.

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Rescue and Firefighting

The increase of passenger survivability in post-crash fires prompting development in:

Safe evacuation routes for passengers and crew.
Chemical fire retardants.
Emergency vehicle capabilities and response time.
Emergency personnel capabilities.

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Wildlife

Research effective methods to improve regional wildlife habitat management techniques that may be useful in controlling the presence of birds and other wildlife around the airport facilities, increasing airport safety.

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Aviation Weather Analysis and Forecasting

Purpose:

To enhance the basic understanding of weather as it affects aviation by concentrating research efforts on developing new algorithms, numerical weather analysis and prediction models, and methods to detect/predict the impact from weather hazards.

Approach

 Includes 3 major components:

Participation in interagency activities to better understand weather phenomena.
To develop models and algorithms for generating nowcast and short-term aviation specific products.
To develop and test computer-aided training modules for the users of newly developed forecasting methods and products.

 

Areas of Interest:

Icing forecasting.
En route and transition turbulence, and visibility.
Thunderstorm and Microburst prediction.
Wind analysis and forecasting.
Oceanic weather observation, analysis, and forecasting.

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Explosive Detection Projects

Purpose

To develop improved systems and operational procedures for the detection of explosives/firearms on passengers and in checked and carry-on baggage, air cargo, and mail. This includes screening systems capable of detecting nonmetallic, liquid, and other non conventional weapons and explosives.

Approach

The goal is to provide a high degree of detection accuracy with a low probability of false-alarm.

The current approach focuses on 2 primary areas:

Explosives Detection.
Weapons Detection.

Areas of Interest:

Trace Portal Screening.
Bulk Screening.
Chemical Detection including Mass Spectrometry, Surface Acoustic Wave, and Biosensor techniques.
Fast Neutron Radiography.
Computer Topography Systems.
Nuclear Resonance Absorption.