Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A14-056

Description

In this sequential Phase II effort, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop and test a new Dynamic Hybrid Rope Monitoring (DHRM) system to measure dynamic strain and forces on individual helicopter sling legs and parachute suspension lines. It is based on novel construction of hybrid rope using a small percentage of core-conducting bicomponent synthetic fiber yarns mixed with bulk, neat synthetic fibers in a standard sling rope and parachute cord configurations and high-speed monitoring of changes in electrical properties. Specifically, the innovation in utilizing high-conductivity synthetic fiber yarns and a simple multichannel electronic monitoring methods will enable the proposed technology to simultaneously monitor dynamic strain on a number of ropes in aerial delivery systems. This effort builds on an on-going Phase II project under the same topic (A14-056, Contract W911QY-14-P-0254) where POC demonstrated a full-scale helicopter sling leg (HSL) prototype, which can be electronically monitored for its residual life. In this sequential Phase II effort, hybrid HSL sling and parachute suspension line prototypes with integrated strain sensing fibers and high-speed strain reader electronics will be developed and tested. We will also develop an integration plan with a selected platform and demonstrate the capability of the technology.