Address
Laboratory Representative
Description
From the unit's inception, the research and development efforts have focused on user needs. The significance of applying leading edge technology to provide the user with the state-of-the-art weaponry makes a dramatic impact on the outcome of any given strike mission. Technology endeavors over recent years have manifested themselves in a variety of non- nuclear air armament, some of which were employed in effective surgical strike operations in Libya and Desert Storm.
Today, the Munitions Directorate is a part of the Air Force Research Laboratory and continues to make technological breakthroughs for future air armament. The Directorate's emphasis is on the weapon's capability to operate with complete autonomy and with high accuracy when delivered against ground targets in all weather conditions, day or night, using long- or short-range delivery tactics. Air-to-air missiles benefit from this technology with increased single shot kills and larger no-escape zones. Additionally, advances in hard target penetrating warheads are supplying mission flexibility by providing a conventional armament capability to defeat hardened targets traditionally reserved for nuclear weapons. In summary, paramount to every AFRL/MN technology decision is the answer to the question, "What does it do for the user?"
Mission
The primary role of the Air Force/AFRL-Munitions Directorate is to develop, integrate and transition science and technology for air-launched munitions for defeating ground fixed, mobile/relocatable, air and space targets to assure the pre-eminence of U.S. air and space forces.
Facilities:
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Radio Frequency/Millimeter Wave Facility
- Electro-Optical Research Facility
- LADAR Development and Evaluation Research Facility
- Instrumentation Technology Research Facility
- Vehicle Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulation Facility
- Aeroballistics Research Facility
- Ballistics Experimentation Facility
- Interior Ballistics and Impact Facility
- Carriage and Release Facility
- Computational Fluid Dynamics Facility
- High Explosive Research and Development Facility
- Advanced Warheads Experimental Facility
- Fuses Research and Development Facility
- Prototype Munition Fabrication Facility
Technology Disciplines
| Patent Number | US6244536 |
| Inventors | James R. Cloutier |
| Patent Issue Date | Jul 12, 2001 |
| Patent Number | US6380906 |
| Inventors | John L. Cesulka |
| Patent Issue Date | May 30, 2002 |
The present disclosure generally relates to an improved penetrator design and associated arming generator relocator adaptor. In some embodiments, the arming generator relocator adaptor is positioned external to the penetrator, thereby removing the need to mount the FZU inside the warhead or include traditional internal plumbing. The arming generator relocator adaptor allows the FZU to be rotated to an optimal position to arm the penetrator. While the improved penetrator design and arming generator relocator adaptor can be used independently of each other, in the preferred embodiment, they are utilized together.
| Patent Number | 9759537 |
| Inventors | Austin Leach, PhD, CLP |
| Patent Issue Date | Sep 07, 2017 |
A new method and apparatus for addressing hexagonally arranged data sampling elements is described. Array set addressing, or ASA, is a new method for capturing information from a hexagonal grid of image sensor pixels, or any hexagonal grid of data sampling elements, for image processing or any computational manipulation of sampling data. ASA represents the hexagonal grids as a set of two rectangular arrays which can individually indexed by integer-valued row and column indices. The two arrays are distinguished using a single binary coordinate so that a full address for any point on the hexagonal grid is uniquely represented by three coordinates representing which array and the row and column. The new addressing method supports efficient linear algebra and other image processing manipulation and can be straightforwardly implemented in conventional electronic hardware and digital processing systems.
| Patent Number | 8797436 |
| Inventors | Brian Metzger, PhD |
| Patent Issue Date | Jul 31, 2014 |
A blast resistant window structure capable of withstanding typical car bomb blast pressures of 100 psi or more and of resisting leakage of chemical or biological agents is described, the window structure including a frame hermetically enclosing two glass panels in confronting relationship defining an air gap therebetween, each glass panel having a thin layer of polymer film on each surface thereof, and a pressure relief valve in the frame for releasing air pressure from within the gap in response to blast pressure imposed on an outer surface of one of the panels.
| Patent Number | 7174692 |
| Inventors | Austin Leach, PhD, CLP |
| Patent Issue Date | Feb 12, 2007 |
A high bandwidth, low signal error, compact waveguide includes a conductive body including a waveguide input portion and a plurality of waveguide output portions disposed coplanar with the input waveguide portion. The waveguide further includes a common junction joining the input waveguide portion and the plurality of output waveguide portions. A septum is disposed proximate the common junction collinear with a centerline of the input waveguide portion. The waveguide further includes a plurality of iris elements disposed proximate the common junction transverse to the centerline of the input waveguide portion. The septum and the plurality of iris elements changes an impedance of the common junction to match the impedance across the entire waveguide bandwidth.
| Patent Number | 9666927 |
| Inventors | Austin Leach, PhD, CLP |
| Patent Issue Date | May 25, 2017 |
Radio frequency (RF) and microwave systems typically require power distribution networks to divide an input signal into any number of output signals. Inversely, power distribution networks can also be used to combine RF input signals from multiple inputs into a single RF output signal.
RF rectangular waveguide technology is applicable to power distribution networks due to the technology’s inherent advantages in power handling capacity and signal integrity. Such devices have the benefit of very low power loss at high frequencies. Unfortunately, the existing RF waveguide power distribution devices have very limited frequency bandwidth, generate unacceptable amplitude and phase errors, and can be too large for many applications.
To address the above, Air Force researchers have developed a novel RF waveguide power distribution technology that can provide wide RF bandwidth operation with fewer amplitude and phase errors. The technology was used to design a compact structure as a two-way and a four-way power combiner/divider. The system has a conductive body that includes a waveguide input portion and several waveguide output portions in the same plane. The waveguide further includes a common junction joining the input waveguide portion and the output waveguide portion. Three iris elements next to the common junction, together with the divider, produce unexpected beneficial results as they work in concert to match the impedance of the structure across the entire bandwidth of the waveguide. The respective dimensions and relative placement of these elements result in very low levels of reflected power from an input signal, across the entire operational frequency band, which minimizes amplitude and phase errors in the compact structure.
- Design features including smooth corners allow for maximum power transmission through the waveguide device by softening discontinuities in the waveguide walls, thereby minimizing associated charge buildup and standing waves that cause breakdown
| Patent Number | 9,666,927 |
| Patent Number | US8326088 |
| Inventors | Rodney G. Roberts, Daniel W. Repperger, Robert D. Sorkin, Alan Pinkus |
| Patent Issue Date | Jan 04, 2013 |
It has been known since the early 1960s that hexagonal sampling is the optimal sampling approach for isotropically band-limited images, providing a 13.4% improvement in sampling efficiency over rectangular sampling.
Despite this fact and other significant advantages of hexagonal sampling, rectangular sampling is still used for virtually all modern digital image processing systems. This is arguably due to the lack of an efficient addressing system for hexagonal grids.
A new method for addressing hexagonally arranged image sensors that produce an output that can be efficiently computationally manipulated, particularly in digital systems, has been developed by a U.S. Air Force research lab.
The patented invention, called array set addressing, or ASA, solves the problems for any hexagonally arranged data sampling elements. A primary concept behind ASA is that a hexagonal grid can be represented as a set of two rectangular arrays distinguished by a single binary coordinate. What’s particularly new in the present invention is extending that concept and applying it to addressing captured information from a hexagonal grid of image sensor pixels. The hexagonal grid has a greater angular resolution, equidistant spacing, and a higher degree of symmetry than rectangular grids. Also, since all neighboring pixels in a hexagonal grid share a side, there is no connectivity ambiguity as there is with rectangular grids, which leads to more efficient algorithms that deal with connectivity.
- Broad Imaging Applications: Hexagonal sampling works in all frequency bands
- Less Computational Burden: Faster computational operations for hexagonal sampled images
- Elegant Solution: ASA significantly outperforms other hexagonal addressing approaches
| Patent Number | 8,797,436 |
| Patent Number | US7912283 |
| Inventors | Rodney G. Roberts, Alan Pinkus, Daniel W. Repperger |
| Patent Issue Date | Apr 22, 2011 |
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AFRL Scholars Industry Partnership Program
The Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW) and Cummings Aerospace have partnered to provide a unique internship experience for college engineering students. Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, the two parties developed an internship program that will allow college students in the AFRL Scholars Program to be mentored by scientists from both Cummings Aerospace and the Munitions Directorate. The students will work at the Directorate’s Dynamic Materials Characterization Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base and at the Cummings Aerospace facility in nearby Valparaiso.
The intern topic was, "High performance, low-cost structural materials are of great importance to the AF mission. The goal of this project is to develop an understanding between the processing/microstructure of newly designed alloys and additive manufacturing processes with that of the dynamic mechanical response.” This project involves characterization of the microstructure using optical/electron microscopy as well as quasi-static and dynamic mechanical testing using mechanical test frames. Students will also be responsible for designing and conducting thermal process experiments to develop an improved understanding of phase stability and transformations. Students will be trained on the equipment, and be expected to work as a team with technicians and scientists to accomplish tasks related to develop data and an understanding for new prototype material systems."
CRADA Outcome
“The collaboration between AFRL and Cummings Aerospace, enabled by the CRADA, will provide both interns and their mentors with valuable insight into industry and Air Force technologies and capabilities to develop the next generation of weapons,” said Cummings Aerospace President and Chief Executive Officer, Sheila Cummings. Additionally, this opportunity demonstrates the committed relationship and shared strategic vision between industry and AFRL to find new and innovative ways to address the challenges of future weapons science and technology needs.”
The CRADA was initially executed for 18 months; however, the collaboration between AFRL/RW, Cummings Aerospace, and the Intern was such a success the CRADA has been extended for a 5-year term. Additionally, Mr. Brian Mitchell, the AFRL/RW STEM Education Outreach Coordinator, has been approached by other companies wanting information about the program and how they can enter into a CRADA with the Munitions Directorate.
Mr. Steve McClendon (Cummings Aerospace-Alec Savile (Intern)-Dr. Rachel Abrahams (AFRL_RWM). Photo courtesy of AFRL.