Abstracts: Bowman Scholar Research Projects (AY2004)
Matthew A. Beasley
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Packaging for Satellite-based Microelectromechanical Systems
The goal of
this project is to successfully design, build, and test a package for a microelectromechanical variable emissivity radiator to launch on the Naval
Academy satellite, MIDSTAR I. Microelectromechanical
Systems (MEMS) are microchips with moving parts.
Utilizing integrated circuit fabrication technology, these micro-scale
devices offer the advantages of reduced mass, greater efficiency and bulk
fabrication.
While much of MEMS research is focused on device design, there is a vital
step required to link the laboratory with the real world that receives much less
attention. MEMS packaging is
equally important as the device it will support.
Unlike integrated circuits, MEMS require protection from external
elements but must also interact with the environment.
This requirement makes packaging complex and difficult to standardize.
A research team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory (JHU/APL) is currently designing and fabricating a MEMS-based thermal
control device for satellites. The
device has two layers: a thermally emissive outer layer and a layer in contact
with the satellite. When a voltage
is applied, the top layer contacts the bottom layer, allowing heat to radiate
from the satellite.
Through research and laboratory testing, this research will involve
designing and fabricating the package for this device.
Doing so will require extensive characterization of the first generation
device alone, as well as testing of the device and package for expected levels
of vibration, radiation, and temperature. This
will ensure the device and package can survive space launch and orbit for the
life of a satellite. The package is
specifically being designed to allow testing on the next Naval Academy
satellite, MIDSTAR I. In addition
to protecting the device, the package must also provide connections to the
satellite’s onboard computer and power supply, and include sensors to verify
operation.
This research work will provide valuable feedback to the APL research
team, as the development of the package should reveal device design changes that
will increase overall system performance. The research completed in this project
will also become part of the foundation for future work in space packaging for
MEMS, and aid future defense applications as the military continues to look
toward space for the answers to modern communications and intelligence problems.
FACULTY ADVISER
Assistant Professor Samara L. Firebaugh
Electrical Engineering Department
Kevin J. Behm
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
The Integration of a Nuclear Acquisition System with
Wireless Communications TechnologyBackground
Nuclear threats can be detected by measuring
the neutron and gamma radiation that is emitted by nuclear material. Such data
can be collected in the field by portable data acquisition systems (DAQS) that
could be mounted within a wide variety of platforms, such as unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAV’s). These DAQS collect large arrays of data using multi-channel
analyzer technology. More sophisticated analysis can be performed if the data
is analyzed remotely on more powerful computers than if analyzed in-situ. To
accomplish this advanced analysis, the data must be transferred remotely using
wireless communications technology. However, currently very limited work has
been performed on the integration of nuclear DAQs with this technology.
Goals
The goal of this project is to integrate and
then successfully demonstrate that a nuclear DAQ can wirelessly transfer data to
a laptop computer using internet protocol (IP). To accomplish this, a number of
interface issues, including proper data formatting and stopping and starting of
data acquisition, must first be resolved. This project will be broken down into
three successive phases.
Experimental Process
Phase one, the building phase, will work to
create a point to point transfer of data between two laptops using peer to peer
networking. This phase of work shall serve as the base for the rest of the
project, and will reference the work of Ensign DeForge, Class of 2003, who built
and worked on this phase of the project last year.
During the second phase of this project, the
wireless phase, the IP code written in phase one will be altered to create a
wireless network. This network will adhere to one of the wireless standards set
forth in the wireless networking standard IEEE 802.11.
The third and final phase of this project will
give the nuclear DAQ the capabilities to send its data to an IP ready phone.
This should represent the most challenging phase of the project, but also the
most applicable, since it has such wide-ranging capabilities.
Upon successful completion of the final phase
of this project, the system will be demonstrated by using a neutron source and a
neutron sensitive nuclear DAQ, both of which are located in the nucleonic
laboratory in Rickover Hall to collect data.
After collection, this data will be sent
wirelessly to another laptop, and an IP ready phone. Both the neutron source
and the nuclear DAQ were undamaged by the recent flooding in Rickover Hall.
Practical Uses of the Project Results
This project could serve as a useful tool for
the United States to help regulate its rigid force protection measures. Gate
guards and other members responsible for force protection could benefit from the
wireless capabilities and mobility of such a system. Also, UAV’s could use
this technology to perform radiation sweeps miles into enemy territory. If the
radiation detectors could be made small enough to fit onto a cell phone, this
system could represent the most comprehensive radiation detection network ever
created, as it would be maintained by the users. In this system, every cell
phone could identify, and report possible radiation sources to proper
authorities.
FACULTY ADVISERS
Professor Martin E. Nelson
Mechanical Engineering Department
Commander Thaddeus B. Welch, III, USN
Electrical Engineering Department
Ryan J. Corcoran
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Assessment of a DC Stability Toolbox Application to a
Shipboard Nonlinear Integrated Power System
The power system of the Navy’s future electric warships will supply
approximately 100 MW of power for critical operations such as propulsion, ship’s
service, and weapons. These interdependent, automated systems need
to be efficiently managed under dynamic conditions including large power
transients from the use of energy weapons, damage control operations, and battle
induced casualties. As mobile energy sources for a future electric naval force,
these ships need to respond quickly to faults and disturbances so they can
remain online to continuously carry out their missions.
In order to fully develop
and test electric warships, additional research is required to accurately model
and control the nonlinear power systems aboard these ships. Concurrently, an
effective nonlinear analytic design tool to confidently design a nonlinear
stabilizing controller for a shipboard Integrated Power System (IPS) may be
years away. This research aims to explore the range of applicability of existing
impedance-based tools to determine nonlinear system stability. Recently, a MATLAB-based DC Stability Toolbox, developed by Sudhoff et al, has provided
promising results. This model approximates nonlinearities and uncertainty
through specified variations in parameter values. Essentially, the nonlinear
system is linearized with respect to an equilibrium point. However, this
implicit small signal assumption may limit the validity for stability analysis
of large-scale transients and disturbances. This investigation will examine the
range of the DC Stability Toolbox’s effectiveness for the nonlinear system
beyond the linearized neighborhood of particular operating points. If the DC
Stability Toolbox cannot effectively model the complete nonlinear system, other
stability methods can be investigated. In particular, it may be possible to
extend the applicability of the DC Stability Toolbox by decomposing large-scale
nonlinear transients into a sequence of smaller steps. Assuming that the
nonlinearities are sufficiently smooth, the linear analysis will be applicable
within a finite neighborhood of a particular operating point. The analysis can
then be applied to an overlapping sequence of neighborhoods completely
describing the nonlinear behavior. Several tools are available to investigate
these possibilities. Two separate time-domain simulations and experimental
hardware results will serve as a comparison to the predictions of the Stability
Toolbox.
FACULTY ADVISERS
Assistant Professor Edwin L. Zivi
Weapons and Systems Engineering Department
Associate Professor John G. Ciezki
Electrical Engineering Department
Dang V. Duong
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Nonlinear Acoustic Detection of Plastic Landmines
The purpose of
this Bowman Scholar project is to explore an acoustic, nonlinear scheme to
detect plastic landmines. Using acoustic-to-seismic coupling, airborne sound
couples into the ground and vibrates the top plate of the buried landmine case.
Then, the soil surface vibrations are modified in the presence of the mine.
The
soil-plate oscillator is an apparatus that represents a good physical model of
two inert anti-tank plastic landmines, the VS 1.6 and the VS 2.2. The apparatus
consists of a thick-walled cylinder filled with the sifted, homogenous soil
resting on a thin elastic plate that is clamped to the bottom of the column.
Two
nonlinear experiments have been performed using this apparatus. First, using an
amplifier and loud speakers, a tuning curve experiment has been performed. The
vibration amplitude vs frequency of the soil-loaded plate was detected by a
geophone placed on the soil-air interface. The data was displayed using a sweep
spectrum analyzer. Second, a two-tone test experiment was carried out with two
amplifiers and two electronically driven speakers to generate two different
acoustic frequencies that insonify the soil surface and excite the soil-plate
oscillator. Combination frequencies were then measured.
Linear acoustic techniques to detect landmines are susceptible to false alarms
caused by the resonance of soil layers covering objects such as buried roots,
rocks, concrete and metal debris. During a wave cycle, the compressible plastic
surface of the mine oscillates together with the soil through the first half of
the cycle but separates from the soil during the second half, causing a
nonlinear oscillation. On the other hand, a rock for example is relatively
incompressible, so that the soil resting against it will linearly oscillate
throughout the whole cycle. Thus, the nonlinear acoustic technique offers a
clear advantage in the detection of plastic landmines since false alarms are
eliminated.
Although, some metallic landmines are readily detectable using a metal detector,
the successful detection of plastic mines proves to be a challenge. This
experiment will aid in refining the process to accurately detect plastic
landmines by analyzing the nonlinear experiments. The success of this project
could ultimately result in saving hundreds of thousands of lives from becoming
potential victims to these indiscriminate killers. In addition, our military
forces would benefit greatly from this method that makes possible the successful
clearing of plastic landmines.
FACULTY ADVISER
Professor Murray S. Korman
Physics Department
Eric C. Eckstrand
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
High Energy Laser Modeling and Simulation Framework Evaluation
High Energy Lasers offer the potential of technological and operational
superiority in terms of combat fighting capabilities. The High Energy Laser
Joint Technology Office (HEL-JTO) has funded considerable research in terms of
the modeling, simulation, and construction of high energy laser devices. A wide
variety of end-to-end High Energy Laser simulations exist, and the development
of these simulations could greatly benefit from modularizing the software
architecture under which these simulations are developed. In this manner, one
component of a software simulation framework, such as a laser’s propagation
component, could be modified or replaced without disturbing the rest of the
simulation framework. Such a modification to the component model must be
efficient in terms of ease of use of the modeling framework as well as in
minimizing the restrictions placed on the component undergoing modification.
Changing a particular portion of a simulation should only require modifying the
component which held that particular part, rather than having to modify the
whole simulation. A group modifying the simulation framework to support the
inclusion of a new propagation code would not need a perspective of the entire
simulation, but rather only the perspective of their particular module and its
interaction with the surrounding modules necessary to develop their component.
The goal of this Bowman Scholar project is to contribute to the HEL-JTO effort
by incorporating an existing laser propagation model into the Northrup Grumman
High Energy Laser Simulation (HELSEEM). This project focuses on the feasibility
of incorporating legacy laser propagation codes into the HELSEEM framework. The
incorporation process will be detailed, with particular attention given to
problems likely to be encountered by developers of subsequent laser propagation
codes. Lessons learned from the incorporation process, as well as
recommendations for the improvement of the process, will be identified.
FACULTY ADVISER
Associate Professor Donald M. Needham
Computer Science Department
Adam S. Fisher
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
A Bidirectional Wavelength Multiplexed Fiber Ring Network
There is much untapped potential in the use of fiber optic technology. Its
advantages, including greater bandwidth and higher data rates, are currently
used most effectively in large-scale network backbones. While used to connect
continents and cities, optical fiber still has yet to be widely integrated into
small-scale applications, such as local area networks. The aim of this research
project is to build a working eight-node optical fiber ring network that
functions as a precursor to such a local area network. The network uses four
wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) frequency channels and eight bidirectional
add-drop multiplexers to route mixed types of data signals (digital and analog)
between the individual nodes.
In WDM communications, information is transmitted on multiple optical
frequencies. In this project, the specific frequencies are routed to different
nodes in a bidirectional manner, minimizing the number of nodes a message must
through in order to reach its destination. Eight add-drop multiplexers (ADM),
one for each node, perform the routing function. The ADMs used in this network
allow information on multiple wavelengths to propagate through them in both
directions. Each ADM adds (drops) two wavelengths to (from) the ring network.
The bidirectional capability is achieved using thin film filter technology, in
which filtered wavelengths are reflected in a direction opposite that of the
transmitted wavelengths.
The
project is comprised of integrating each ADM into the network, addressing
performance issues such as crosstalk between frequencies, bit error rates,
signal to noise ratio, and reliability using different data formats. The
practicality of the small-scale network is also examined, considering issues
such as security and fault-tolerance.
Successful completion
of the project will further harness the benefits of
optical fiber. Ships, campuses, office buildings, even whole neighborhoods could
be connected with the high bandwidth associated with fiber optic networks. If it
can be shown that local area networks can operate at high data rates in a single
fiber ring, while maintaining scalability and modularity, the possibility of
installing smaller scale optical fiber networks would be significantly enhanced.
FACULTY ADVISERS
Associate Professor R. Brian Jenkins
Captain Robert J. Voigt, USN
Electrical Engineering Department
Michael C. Graham
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Impedance Analysis of Nafion Impregnated SiO2 Aerogels
This Bowman
research project seeks to investigate the electrical properties of a SiO2
aerogel coated with Nafion, a well known proton conductor. Aerogels show great
promise as a material for use in nanobatteries and nanofuel cells. Due to their
extremely porous structure they have very high surface area and show potential
for use in a variety of electrochemical devices. For example, a hypothetical
nanobattery might use an aerogel as an electrode, a polymer coating applied to
the aerogel as the electrolyte, and a metal as the second electrode.
However, many
problems remain to achieving a working device. Aerogels are delicate materials
both to fabrication and use. Work still remains to find a suitable polymer to
serve as an electrolyte.
This project
will characterize the performance of a candidate polymer in an aerogel. A SiO2
aerogel will be fabricated using established techniques. The aerogel is made by
first mixing tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS), water, methanol, and ammonium
hydroxide. After stirring, the mixture is poured into molds and allowed to
gel. The gel is washed in ethanol and acetone a total of seven to ten times.
The gels must then be dried using a carbon dioxide critical point
dryer. Finally the dry gels are densified by heating to 900°C.
After the
aerogels are dry, they will be immersed in a Nafion solution to coat the surface
of the aerogel with the Nafion polymer. After drying the response of the SiO2-Nafion
material will be characterized using impedance analysis techniques.
A separate
experiment will be performed to analyze the performance of Nafion films on
different substrates. Nafion coatings of various thicknesses will be applied to
flat, solid Teflon and aluminum oxide (sapphire) surfaces. The impedance
results will be compared to the Nafion impregnated aerogel. Similarities
between the two sets of impedance results will allow characterization of the
conduction process in the aerogel and the effect of Nafion on conduction.
FACULTY ADVISER
Professor John J. Fontanella
Physics Department
Derek M. Jennings
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
A Mathematical Approach to Finding Ship Berthing Capability
This project will attempt to produce a calculator which will determine whether
or not there is ample berthing space in our Continental United States (CONUS)
homeports for all of our non-forward deployed naval vessels. The researcher
will explore a number of mathematical techniques in an attempt to optimize the
physical pier/quay space available at each CONUS homeport. This data will then
be used to determine how many of each naval vessel can be accommodated at each
naval base. The goal is to create a computer program which will take a number
of physical parameters (such as: number in ship class, ship length, draft,
beam, etc.) and indicate whether or not such a configuration is possible. An
interactive capability allowing the user to subtract or add additional pier/quay
space would also be desirable. This calculator may be used in conjunction with
further (unrelated) analysis to determine the readiness and capability of the
U.S. Naval fleets.
FACULTY ADVISER
Associate Professor John F. Pierce
Mathematics Department
Keith G. Labbe
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Virtual Environment (VE) Collaboration
The research undertaken in this proposal is a joint venture
between the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). It will entail establishing a secure
virtual private network (VPN) connection with NPS. This connectivity will
provide and serve as a test bed in determining VPN functionality in meeting the
needs for continued collaborative virtual environment (VE) and information
technology (IT) research. A commercial off the shelf (COTS) desktop VE will
initially be used to test issues such as bandwidth requirements/availability,
latency, and barriers to collaborative communication and coordination. Once
established, customized and scaled, bicoastal collaborative sessions will be
connected to explore performance in pursuit of collaborative goals. The
specific objectives of this research are to:
a.
Explore networked VEs and the difference associated with LAN and WAN
implementations.
b.
Install and test a COTS VPN connection between designated NPS and USNA IP
addresses.
c. Gain an
understanding of human factors associated with of VEs.
d. Gain an
understanding of the types of VEs and their employment in pursuit of individual
and collaborative training.
e. Hands on
migration from COTS desktop VEs to wrap-around VEs under development. The
researcher will have the opportunity to write C++ and OpenGL code as well as
utilize VE application software (MultiGen Paradigm's Vega).
FACULTY ADVISER
Major Mark J. Lennerton, USMC
Computer Science Department
Brandon R. Monaghan
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Signal Filtering using the Hilbert-Huang Transform
The objective of
this research project is to use the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) to analyze
signals with non-stationary, non-linear characteristics. Dr. Norden Huang et
al. of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center proposed that the HHT algorithm
could be used to understand time-series signals of this kind. This project has
potential in naval applications in the detection of distant or quiet
submarines. The sounds that submarines generate are often signals whose
amplitudes and frequencies both vary with time. Propagation through the ocean
environment affects those signals in a non-linear fashion. There are more
traditional algorithms such as the Fourier Transform that detect stationary,
linear signals in the presence of random noise. However, they are less
successful with signals that are not stationary and linear, but, rather, vary in
frequency, amplitude, or both and behave in a non-linear fashion.
Implementation of
the HHT algorithm will require sifting the time-domain data with cubic-spline
interpolation functions. Two cubic-spline functions will be calculated, one for
the upper envelope and one for the lower envelope of the signal. An iterative
process entailing subtracting the mean of the two cubic-spline functions from
the data will generate a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMF). Once the set
of IMF has been calculated, the Hilbert Transform of each of them can be
computed. The Hilbert Transform will provide the amplitude and frequency of
each IMF as functions of time. During the course of this project, different
methods for calculating the cubic splines will be used and compared in order to
compare their performance.
FACULTY ADVISERS
Commander Charles B. Cameron, USN
Professor Antal A. Sarkady
Electrical Engineering Department
Joshua M. Mueller
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Complex Impedance Studies of Electrospray Deposited Proton Conductors
The focus of this
project is to study the material properties of electrospray deposited polymers
for use as proton conducting membranes in fuel cells. The ultimate goal of the
project is to provide critical insight into the behavior of the proton
conductors so as to provide feedback for improving the next generation of fuel
cells. The primary polymer in question will be an electrospray deposited Nafion,
which has long stood as a benchmark material in proton conducting fuel cells.
The properties that will be tested include conductivity as a function of water
content, temperature, pressure and material swelling. If time permits, studies
of mechanical properties will also be conducted. The results from this research
will be shared with Hunter College, where NMR data will be taken on the
materials, and Virginia Commonwealth University, where the polymers are
chemically engineered.
This project is in keeping with
the Office of Naval Research’s Grand Challenges for the 21st Century,
specifically, the development of new, safe, effective, and non-petroleum based
sources of power and power generation. Hydrogen powered fuel cells are an area
of focus for potential use as an energy storage mechanism in the future. At the
heart of the fuel cell is a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) composed of two
catalyst contacts sandwiching a proton exchange membrane. Electrospraying is a
deposition process in which the material is passed through a charged syringe and
accelerated towards a grounded drum, thus producing the layered MEA. The goal
of this method of fabrication is to be able to quickly and inexpensively mass
produce the MEA.
FACULTY ADVISER
Associate Professor Charles A. Edmondson
Physics Department
Jeffrey C. Payne
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Optical Limiting in Single-mode Waveguide Systems
The objective of this research project is to
study the optical properties of single mode waveguide systems that exhibit an
absorption that increases with intensity of the light that is incident upon
them. In this way these devices limit the transmission of optical energy and
are referred to as “optical limiters”. Such systems are of great value to both
the military and the telecommunications industry because of their ability to
protect sensitive equipment from exposure to high intensity light. This work is
being done in conjunction with researchers at the Naval Research Laboratory
where many of the materials under investigation are being developed.
Experiments will be performed using very small
glass capillaries that are filled with materials that exhibit a nonlinear
absorption, that is these materials absorb a greater amount of incoming light as
the intensity of that light increases. These systems act as waveguides where
light is confined to the small “core” region where the nonlinear material
resides. Furthermore, only one intensity profile (or “mode”) is allowed if the
index of refraction of the core is very close to that of the surrounding glass.
In this case, the waveguide is called “single mode”. This situation will be
realized by controlling the temperature of the waveguide since the index of
refraction of the core materials that will be used in this study depend strongly
on temperature. Lasers that emit pulses of light in visible and near infrared
wavelengths will be coupled into the waveguides and input and output intensities
will be measured.
After characterizing optical limiting in a
single waveguide filled with a nonlinear material, a subsequent study will be
pursued to analyze the optical properties of two such waveguides that are placed
very close to one another. It is known that when light is coupled into one
waveguide, a portion of its electric field will extend into the neighboring
waveguide. This provides a pathway for energy to be coupled from one waveguide
to the other. Optical limiting in a system of two coupled, nonlinear waveguides
will be characterized.
FACULTY ADVISER
Assistant Professor James J. Butler
Physics Department
Alan R. Van Reet
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Active Based Electrical Training Equipment
This Bowman Scholar project involves an
investigation of the feasibility and advantages of replacing free-weight
exercise equipment in the shipboard environment with electrically-actuated,
resistive-based training equipment. Though electrically based equipment is
currently available from a variety of manufacturers, the overall goal of this
research is the application of recent advances in the area of nonlinear,
adaptive/observer based control strategies to the electrically actuated fitness
training equipment in order to improve the overall quality of training.
With the removal of the free weights, the
planned unit will be lighter than existing weight stack units making
rearrangement and loading into ships easier. The removal of a sliding weight
stack and cable system will reduce noise from weight movement and slamming. The
reduced noise should allow use of the equipment by crew or SEALs without
compromising the submarine’s covert transit.
In an effort to reduce the number of
independent sensors, the proposed controller will track a desired
resistance/assistance trajectory (time varying or constant) utilizing
measurements of only actuator electrical current. Two nonlinear observers for
actuator position and speed will be employed to promote stability within the
system as well as offering an alternative to direct measurement (i.e., an
encoder or resolver is not required to be integrated into the mechanical
mockup).
Prior to experimental verification of the
proposed control strategy, an electrically actuated exercise test bed will be
developed. The electric actuator (e.g., separately excited direct current
motor) will be controlled via a real-time PC based control environment that will
allow for on-line performance monitoring, safety features, and variable
resistance trajectory generation to accurately mimic free-weight motion.
Actuator current will be measured via Hall based sensor technology and digitized
for control calculations within the PC by a commercially available PCI or ISA
bus I/O card.
FACULTY ADVISER
Assistant Professor Matthew G. Feemster
Weapons and Systems Engineering Department
Alexis B. Wise
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Militarizing Commercial Automation for Warship Command and Control
Automation technologies are essential to
achieve future warship survivability despite increased threat and decreased
manpower. Commercial technology can perform the tasks required for automation,
however, they lack the dependability, system integrity, and fault tolerance a
military platform requires in unpredictable battle environments. For this
research, automation involves the transfer of functions from man to machine
within the existing shipboard command and control structure. The technical
challenge is to extend commercial control technology to provide increased
survivability. Viable commercial technologies exist for the engineering and
damage control automation systems. Therefore, these systems will be the focus of
this research. Furthermore, automation of these systems becomes increasingly
important when damage to the ship threatens to interrupt normal operation.
The research sequence will begin with a
quantitative definition of survivability in terms of continuity of service with
respect to combat induced disruptions. Based on the definition of survivability,
a promising commercially available automation technology solution will be
selected for computer aided design and simulation using Matlab and Simulink. The
research will conclude with the development of a small-scale prototype proof of
concept demonstration.
FACULTY ADVISER
Assistant Professor Paul H. Miller
Weapons and System Engineering Department
Gregory A. Woelfel
Midshipman First Class
United States Navy
Autonomous Planing Craft
The purpose of
this Bowman Scholar research project is to develop a control system for a small
planing craft or drone that will be capable of maneuvering in an autonomous
manner to prosecute a threat or patrol a seaway. The ship will be capable of
detecting a threat, or receiving commands to move in such a way as to render the
threat ineffective. This will involve the development of a control suite that
may use GPS, radar, and visual sensors to determine the appropriate guidance
commands. These commands will be interpreted by a single board computer that
will command the physical control surfaces of the craft. Work will be done to
ensure the effectiveness of these control surfaces in achieving the most
efficient performance for a planing hull based on power usage and ship
dynamics. This portion of the design will also involve the use of movable
ballast and trim tabs to support autonomous control in the dynamic marine
environment.
The attack on
the USS Cole and other
terrorist attempts on surface ships have demonstrated the vulnerability of
surface fleet when in port or in transit of high traffic littoral areas.
Surface drones provide a ship with the ability to deal with unidentified ships
or hostile craft at a safe distance, limiting exposure of the high value
unit.
Surface Drones have been demonstrated successfully using commercial
JETSKIs, Boston Whalers, and inflatable RIBs. The objectives of this project
include successful demonstration of the control concept and integration of
commercial off-the-shelf components to decrease cost. The test hull has been
supplied by the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Department.
FACULTY ADVISER
Associate Professor Bradley E. Bishop
Weapons and Systems Engineering Department
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