Air Force Research Lab Studies Metal Fatigue in Aircraft Components
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Air Force Research Lab Studies Metal Fatigue in Aircraft Components


AF Lab Metal FatigueThe Air Force Research Laboratory has conducted a study on metal fatigue in aircraft components to learn more about microscopic crack formations and their possible effects on aircraft safety.

The metals branch of the lab’s materials and manufacturing directorate investigated the early stages of crack formation in turbine engine materials to find ways to reduce cracks that could potentially cause fatigue failure, the U.S. Air Force said Thursday.

“The Air Force routinely inspects engine components for cracks, but it is possible to miss microscopically small cracks with current inspection methods,” said Adam Pilchak, an AFRL research scientist with the metals branch.

“Because crack growth rates can vary considerably depending on how a material is processed, it is important to understand the worst-case scenario that leads to the shortest fatigue lifetime.”

The service branch noted factors that cause metal fatigue in an aircraft’s engine, wing or tail structures include repeated loading and unloading, air pressure changes and altitude exposure.

The study sought to build on understanding of metal fatigue, crack origins and the materials on which cracks form to foster updates on aircraft inspection procedures that work to help maintainers discover metal fatigue at an earlier stage before it could impact safety.

The Air Force added that the study also aimed to show whether there is a need to modify the way materials are processed.

The team employed a scanning electron microscope that worked to magnify the surfaces of fractured aircraft engine components in an effort to determine crack origins.

The study led the team to win first place in the electron microscopy research category at the International Metallographic Contest at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2016 and the Jacquet-Lucas Award for excellence in metallography.

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US, China Establish Technology Devt, Other Economic Opportunity Commitments
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US, China Establish Technology Devt, Other Economic Opportunity Commitments


partnershipThe U.S. and China have made a series of commitments that aim to foster and protect technology development efforts as well as business opportunities for information and communications technology providers in support of economic initiatives.

A White House release posted Sunday stated that the two countries will utilize monetary, fiscal and structural policy tools for efforts to drive economic growth.

The countries said they will not support policies or practices that obligate the transfer of intellectual property rights or technology in order to authorize business in order to promote innovation.

The U.S. and China also commit to non-discriminatory ICT security measures that observe international norms and do not prevent commercial sales opportunities for foreign providers of ICT products and services, according to the statement.

The two countries will further implement a memorandum of understanding between the Commerce Department and its Chinese counterpart to jointly support trade and investment group exchanges as well as related promoting activities, the release added.

Other initiatives mentioned in the joint statement include the planned Bilateral Investment Treaty, a memorandum of understanding on subnational trade and investment cooperation, China’s supply-side structural reform and economic reform programs and the reaffirmation of the G-20 exchange rate commitments.

Marine Corps Facility Authorized to Operate Manufacturing Research, Development, Test & Evaluation Network
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Marine Corps Facility Authorized to Operate Manufacturing Research, Development, Test & Evaluation Network


RDTE NetThe Fleet Readiness Center East at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point has received authorization to operate its manufacturing Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Network that works to support the fleet’s manufacturing activities.

The manufacturing network consists of systems from the industrial execution and quality assurance departments and provides connectivity between separate workstations, equipment and computing resources, the Naval Air Systems Command said Thursday.

“The network was necessary to increase efficiency in data utilization, and for functional­ity and high-end requirements in engineering and manufactur­ing,” said Angela Padgett, head of the advanced technology integrated product team.

RDTE Net features an in-service support center, a finite element analysis lab and structural modeling simulation lab and serves to support U.S. Navy initiatives on model-based definition, configuration management and the Navy aviation enterprise digital thread.

Russell Padgett, NAVAIR systems engineering department head, added the network will act as a foundation for the implementation of a team center data management environment in fiscal 2016 to 2017 and the corresponding organizational development and process implementation.

NAVAIR said the advanced technology IPT has worked on RDTE Net since 2013 and is working with the U.S. Air Force to study the model-based definition process as the service branch continues to study the RDTE Net configuration.

NASA, Boeing Test Space Launch System Insulator; Michael Frazier Comments
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NASA, Boeing Test Space Launch System Insulator; Michael Frazier Comments


SLSNASA and Boeing have begun to test a new insulation system designed to protect the Space Launch System and its cold fuels as part of the agency’s preparations for Mars exploration missions.

Three types of cryogenic foam are under tests to assess how they insulate the SLS rocket’s core stage and launch vehicle stage adapter that links the core stage to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, NASA said Saturday.

The ICPS will work to thrust the Orion unmanned spacecraft beyond the moon prior to the vehicle’s return to Earth as part of the planned Exploration Mission-1 in 2018.

“NASA has developed new, more environmentally friendly insulation materials for future launch vehicles,” said Michael Frazier, chief of the nonmetallic materials branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

“The cryoinsulation materials for SLS are not only more environmentally compliant, but they are also just as efficient and lightweight as the previous generation of materials,” added Frazier.

The agency noted it uses the three types of foam to cover hundreds of 24-by-24-inch panels for various tests meant to qualify the insulation for the harsh conditions SLS will experience before and during flight.

NASA expects to complete qualification testing of all the foam systems in late 2016.

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FAA OKs Use of Satellite-Based Air Traffic Control Procedures Through Southern California Metroplex Project
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FAA OKs Use of Satellite-Based Air Traffic Control Procedures Through Southern California Metroplex Project


airport-towerThe Federal Aviation Administration has released a record of decision for a project that seeks to replace traditional air traffic control methods with satellite-based procedures.

FAA said Friday the finding of no significant impact decision on the Southern California Metroplex project comes after the agency conducted 90 public meetings and responded to at least 4,000 public comments.

The Metroplex project is part of FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System and covers a total of 99 satellite-based air traffic control procedures for departures, arrivals and approach operations.

The project covers 15 satellite airports and six major airports and seeks to increase the number of entry and exit points that go through the airspace of Southern California.

FAA said satellite-based air traffic control methods aim to facilitate use of fixed aircraft routes, speeds and altitudes as well as reduce pilot-controller communications and vectoring operations.

An environmental noise analysis at over 330,000 locations showed that the implementation of the satellite-based procedures as part of the Metroplex project would not lead to significant noise increases under the National Environmental Policy Act.

FAA said it plans to implement the use of the satellite-based methods in November through April 2017 and will hold public outreach efforts to notify people of the project prior to the procedures’ publication.

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Gen. Joseph Votel: Meetings With Partners Within Centcom’s Area of Responsibility Aim to Address Regional Security
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Gen. Joseph Votel: Meetings With Partners Within Centcom’s Area of Responsibility Aim to Address Regional Security


Joseph Votel
Joseph Votel

U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. Central Command, has said his meetings with U.S. allies’ military and government leaders as part of his visits to countries that comprise Centcom’s area of responsibility seek to build up regional security and stability, DoD News reported Aug. 30.

Cheryl Pellerin writes Votel said maritime security is one of the areas where allies value their partnerships with the U.S.

He told the media at the Pentagon that the Suez Canal, Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait are the three maritime chokepoints that play a role in the global economy.

“Our efforts, together with the efforts of our partners and allies, help to ensure the free flow of commerce through these chokepoints and to other parts of the world,” Votel said.

He also cited Afghan forces’ adoption of security strategy to defend their sovereign spaces and the coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State militant organization in Syria and Iraq, according to the report.

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Inspector General: NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Continues to Face Technical, Safety Review Challenges
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Inspector General: NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Continues to Face Technical, Safety Review Challenges


International Space StationNASA’s office of inspector general has found that the space agency’s Commercial Crew Program continues to encounter technical difficulties with contractors’ space vehicle designs that might delay the transport of crews to the International Space Station by more than three years.

NASA OIG said in an audit report published Thursday that it also found delays in the agency’s assessment and approval of requests for variances and hazard reports submitted by Boeing and SpaceX as part of the certification process.

NASA has also failed to track the timeliness of its process for safety reviews, according to the report.

OIG’s audit report, which is a follow-up to the November 2013 review of the Commercial Review Program, also revealed that NASA has decided to extend its contract with the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, to bring astronauts to the ISS through 2018 at approximately $490 million in additional cost due to delays in the program.

The inspector general has asked NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations to enforce methods to monitor the timeliness of its review process.

NASA should also collaborate with SpaceX and Boeing to facilitate reviews of hazard reports and variance requests in a timely manner, the IG added.

The report also noted that NASA said it will continue to conduct weekly meetings with its two contractors to address such reports.

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Army Demos Integrated Chemical & Biological Threat Detection System
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Army Demos Integrated Chemical & Biological Threat Detection System


Deep Purple UAVThe U.S. Army‘s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center has collaborated with various private technology developers and joint organizations to demonstrate an integrated system of unmanned vehicles and sensors designed to detect chemical and biological threats.

ECBC showcased its Deep Purple unmanned aerial vehicle and Mobile Detection Assessment and Response System unmanned ground vehicle as part of the SK Challenge technology demonstration at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, the Army said Wednesday.

Deep Purple and MDARS carry sensor packages that include the Tactical Biological Generation II Detector that works to identify airborne biological threat presence as well as the Joint Chemical Agent Detector that is built to detect chemical warfare agents, according to the Army.

The service branch added the sensor-mounted vehicles worked to intercept an agent simulant cloud to identify simulants during the test.

Alan Samuels, ECBC team leader and principal investigator, said Deep Purple’s chemical sensors worked to engage the cloud and recognize simulants but the TACBIO biological agent sensor needs to be miniaturized to fit the UAV.

ECBC created Deep Purple using commercial off-the-shelf parts that were developed in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Army said.

Reports: DoD Delays Military EHR System Launch Due to Technical Problems
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Reports: DoD Delays Military EHR System Launch Due to Technical Problems


electronic-health-record-EHRThe Defense Department will delay the launch of its electronic health records system by a few months due to technical issues identified during the testing phase, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

Jared Serbu writes DoD was originally set to roll out the MHS Genesis EHR system on Dec. 6 but decided to move the launch after Leidos and the agency discovered glitches in the integration of the Cerner-built commercial EHR software with the Pentagon’s legacy systems Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application and Composite Health Care System.

A team of Leidos, Cerner and Accenture was awarded in July 2015 a multi-year, multibillion dollar contract to integrate a commercial EHR platform across the Military Health System.

Bill Siwicki also reports for Healthcare IT News that DoD said it will issue details on the delay within a 30-day period.

The Pentagon was scheduled to start a pilot program at a naval hospital in Washington state as part of the MHS Genesis project’s initial deployment, Siwicki reports.

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GAO: OPM Director Should Work with Agencies to Support Hiring Efforts
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GAO: OPM Director Should Work with Agencies to Support Hiring Efforts


partnershipThe Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Office of Personnel Management director work with agencies to aid hiring efforts and analyze the extent to which hiring authorities meet requirements and refine, eliminate or expand authorities as necessary.

GAO said in a report published Thursday that OPM should sustain the Hiring Excellence Campaign‘s efforts to help boost agency hiring and utilize previously established programs as appropriate.

Auditors said agencies relied on 20 out of 105 hiring authorities in fiscal year 2014 that amounted to 91 percent of the 196,226 new appointments made that year and noted the OPM does not utilize data on agency time-to-hire, manager and applicant survey results to assess the hiring process.

OPM and agency can identify methods to refine authorities and expand access to specific authorities labeled as efficient and effective as well as eliminate “less effective” authorities through an analysis of hiring authorities, GAO added.

GAO noted OPM has described the objectives, strategies and measures to sustain the Hiring Excellence Campaign designed to address challenges with federal hiring.

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