GRID LOGIC INCORPORATED — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF181-049
GRID LOGIC INCORPORATED — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Defense.
Phase I SBIR feasibility signal
- Phase I awards fund proof-of-concept work. For capture teams, they mark early interest from Department of Defense in a technical approach.
- Watch for Phase II follow-ons from the same firm/topic family — that conversion path is where budgets and transition pressure rise.
- Obligated amount $149,970. Cross-check similar awards in the same agency and technology tags for going-rate context.
- Topic code AF181-049 links this award to a solicitation family — search the same topic stem for incumbents and recompete timing.
- Amount
- $149,970
- Agency
- Department of Defense · Air Force
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Topic
- AF181-049
- Solicitation
- 2018.1
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- MI
- Period
- 2018-08-10 → 2019-08-10
Description
The U.S. Air Force needs to non-destructively and easily inspect thermal spray metallic and ceramic thermal spray coatings on critical surfaces of gas turbines. Current methods fail to adequately detect sub-surface and interfacial defects, and are cumbersome to use, particularly with conformal geometries.Issues exist with capturing accurate measurements over a range of coating and substrate materials. Finally, inspection data must be interpreted by skilled operators that are subject to misinterpretation.Grid Logic has developed the foundation for a new non-destructive inspection technology called Micro-Induction Inspection (MII). This technology uses an ultra-high frequency resonant circuit inductively coupled to a substrate to measure the characteristics of a composite test sample. The technique is not only sensitive to variations in the substrate surface, but also to sub-surface and interfacial variations. In this Phase I project, MII sensors will be developed that are tuned to the materials used in metallic and ceramic thermal sprays on jet turbines. The potential for a system will be demonstrated to precisely detect flaws by measuring complex impedance variations. The project will establish a foundation for development of a full-scale non-destructive evaluation system in Phase II that can be easily used by the Air Force.