SBIR-STTR Award

Prototypes of multilaminate transparencies having a closed fluid countercurrent flow circulating system with a thermoelectric system will be adapted in several ways to achieve: 1) protection against incident IR. 2) Regulation of inner transparency surface temperature. 3) Dynamic responsiveness to intense incadescent flash. 4) Surface protection against laser induced opacification of transparency. 5) Potential induction in emp passage. Evaluation of performance of transparencies will be done in black box systems with thermal probes on an optical bench with appropriate sensors, and lasers. Thermal regulation will be done with thermoelectric modules mounted on fluid supply lines using thermocoupled feed back. Thermoelectric devices can achieve both rapid heating and/or cooling with the advantage of being done electronically. Photochromic materials will be evaluated for flash protection use. Those different types of photodynamic responders will be studied for utilization in this system: 1) photochromic responders. 2) Faraday effect dependent responders. 3) Charge injection related responders. Radio frequency sputtering and magnetron sputtering will be used to generate protective and responsive films. Fluid flow characteristic will be established and the effectiveness of circulating fluids and photochromes will be compared with matrix fixed surface films.

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This program effort is directed towards designing and building canopy prototype models that address the problem of surface heat, IR heating, incandescent flash protection, and surface hardness. Techniques to be employed to solve these problems include design and construction of a thermoelectric cooled circulating fluid system that contains ir absorbing dyes, utilizes a heat reflecting gold layer, and a command controlled dye reservoir and valve system to achieve rapid canopy opacification. A photochromic electrophoretic system will also be incorporated into the structure to achieve an ultrafast flash protection. This system will use photochromic dyes and a bilayer of conductive sesmitransparent film, one of which will be used to store the dye in the transparent mode and one for the opaque mode. Several outer hard coating materials will be tested. Model prototypes will be tested for transparency, thermal efficiency, and optical properties and rates for transparency and darkening. These models will provide the design and data essential for building a canopy-window product in a phase iii production effort.

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