Shock Assessment of Interchangeable Systems Modules

Symposium PresentationApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Hydrocode Analysis of Seabed Effector Initiation Options

NPS NRP Executive SummaryHydrocode Analysis of Seabed Effector Initiation OptionsCommander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Expanding Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) Survivability via Cost-effective Up-armoring

NPS NRP Executive SummarySmall boat crews operating Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), are often left exposed to adversaries' hostile actions. In conducting Vessel Boarding Search and Seizure (VBSS) and other close-in surface actions boarding teams are prone to gunfire from above, placing them and their small craft at significant risk. While the RHIB is well known for being swift, lightweight, highly maneuverable, and multifunctional, it suffers from an unshielded distant approach, a need for demanding boat handling skills, assumes generally inferior positioning and full exposure while laying alongside larger vessels. To reduce crew casualties and increase RHIB critical component survivability without negatively impacting operational mission success, a cost-effective, lightweight, unencumbering, and easily installable retrofit is needed. This study will investigate appropriate material solutions to protect against small arms, and blast fragmentation effects, while not deterring from the vessel's mission. Additionally, impacts on buoyancy, stability, and other ship's performance characteristics will be studied. Finally, cost and maintenance considerations will be explored as part of the recommended outcomes.N9 - Warfare SystemsThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Impact of Autonomous Robot Assisted Proactive Grooming on Underwater Hull Cleanliness

NPS NRP Executive SummaryShips are continuously under attack from marine growth. This ever-present issue stems from biodiverse micro and macro marine organisms attaching and spreading along the underwater hull surface. While problematic for various reasons it is primarily an issue for Navy vessels due to the serious corrosion effects, unwanted resulting vessel noise signature, constriction of fluid flow through seawater chests, and increased penalties to fuel efficiency. The accumulation of biofoulers increases the hydrodynamic volume and hydrodynamic friction of the ship thus substantially increasing fuel consumption while robbing the ship of power and speed. Management of marine biofouling via proactive underwater ships husbandry not only has the potential to reduce the overall time a ship is in dry-dock but also mitigates these costly detractors while retaining the ship in a more ideal operational status. Aside from the millions of dollars in potential fuel cost savings across the fleet, periodic removal of biological fouling via remotely operated vehicles or through labor-intensive manual grooming methods is shown to reduce the adverse environmental impacts (e.g. CO2 emissions) over-reactive cleaning. Currently, research is underway to better understand the regional and local influence of seawater temperature and impacts associated with biodiversity on the efficacy of proactive grooming. The frequency of the periodic cleaning cycle is also being investigated via testing of submerged hull-plate specimen in multiple geographically diverse locations. This study seeks to address the effectiveness of proactive hull cleaning via further in-depth examination of reported cleaning periodicities and their effects, the applicability to various hull geometries and surface preparations, and/or unique coatings beyond those traditionally used in surface ships. In addition, the authors seek to explore the expanded use of ROV/Autonomous devices performing removal of marine growth on the hull. The correlation of cost benefits tied to recommended proactive cleaning schemes, potential ROV/Autonomous systems and their utilization as part of this periodic underwater ships husbandry approach will be explored through the development of functional relationships and documented in a summary report.Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)ASN(RDA) - Research, Development, and AcquisitionThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Expanding Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) Survivability via Cost-effective Up-armoring

NPS NRP Project PosterSmall boat crews operating Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), are often left exposed to adversaries' hostile actions. In conducting Vessel Boarding Search and Seizure (VBSS) and other close-in surface actions boarding teams are prone to gunfire from above, placing them and their small craft at significant risk. While the RHIB is well known for being swift, lightweight, highly maneuverable, and multifunctional, it suffers from an unshielded distant approach, a need for demanding boat handling skills, assumes generally inferior positioning and full exposure while laying alongside larger vessels. To reduce crew casualties and increase RHIB critical component survivability without negatively impacting operational mission success, a cost-effective, lightweight, unencumbering, and easily installable retrofit is needed. This study will investigate appropriate material solutions to protect against small arms, and blast fragmentation effects, while not deterring from the vessel's mission. Additionally, impacts on buoyancy, stability, and other ship's performance characteristics will be studied. Finally, cost and maintenance considerations will be explored as part of the recommended outcomes.N9 - Warfare SystemsThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Modeling & Simulation Education for the Acquisition and T&E Workforce: FY07 Deliverable Package

This report was prepared for CAPT Mike Lilienthal, PhD, CPE, and funded by ASN (RDA) CHENG and the Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office (MSCO).This technical report presents the deliverables for calendar year 2007 for the "Educating the Modeling and Simulation Workforce" project performed for the DoD Modeling and Simulation Steering Committee. It includes the results for spirals one and two. Spiral one is an analysis of the educational needs of the program manager, systems engineer, and test and evaluation workforces against a set of educational skill requirements developed by the project team. This is referred to as the 'learning matrix'. Spiral two is a set of module and course matrices, along with delivery options, that meets the educational needs indentified in spiral one. This is referred to as the 'learning architecture'. Supporting materials, such as case studies and a handbook, are included. These documents serve as the design framework for spirals three and four, to be completed in CY2008, and which involve the actual production and testing of the courses in the learning architecture and their longitudinal assessment. This report includes the creative work of a seven university consortium and a group of M&S stake-holders, together comprising over 60 personnel.ASN (RDA) CHENG and the Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office (MSCO).This report was prepared for CAPT Mike Lilienthal, PhD, CPE, and funded by ASN (RDA) CHENG and the Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office (MSCO)

Monte Carlo study of tunable negative-zero-positive index of refraction in nanosphere dispersed liquid crystals

Khoo et al.1, 2 have shown that nanosphere dispersed nematic liquid crystal (NDLC) constitutes a new type of metamaterial with index of refraction tunable from negative to positive values. Recently3 we have combined this approach with Monte Carlo simulations of inhomogeneous molecular order in planar NLC cells. Lebwohl - Lasher effective hamiltonian with Rapini - Papoular term for anchoring forces was used. Electric field and amplitude of anchoring forces are control parameters which determine the profiles of order parameter. In this paper we study, using the same approach, local spatial distribution of refractive index in NDLC planar cell. We show that NDLC material consists of layers with negative-zero-positive index of refraction. The spatial organization of those layers strongly depends on incident light wavelength. The role of spatially modulated external electric field for tuning of refractive index of NDLC is briefly discussed

Analysis of the specifications and capabilities for the next-generation LRUSV

NPS NRP Project PosterBased on recent priorities for digital engineering strategy within DoD, there is an opportunity for coordinated research efforts tailored towards unmanned surface vehicles. Such efforts are focused on utilization of models to inform decision making based on a single source of authoritative truth, facilitating integration of new technologies and improvement to coordination and communication across stakeholders and engineers. In support of those objectives, this work proposes a coordination of research and design work as appropriate. The primary focus is the analysis of capabilities and functions for the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV). To expand that design and to demonstrate the utility of digital engineering as an integrating mechanism, this work will utilize the ship design experience and expertise of Navy engineers and the operational experience of NPS students to conduct innovative early stage design projects that examine both the operational and design considerations for unmanned surface vessels. The operational modeling conducted at NPS will focus on the full spectrum of vessel operations. In accordance with the digital engineering concept, that operational modeling will be conducted simultaneously with an expanded analysis effort, with an emphasis on a shared starting point and problem set. This will result in a more focused tradeoff environment, where operational experience and input informs the design effort of engineers and the design experience of engineers informs operational modeling and capability assessment. Joint Cross-service Research Project ID NPS-21-J218-A (combines topics NPS-21-N218 and NPS-21-M181)PEO C4I (PMW 760)ASN(RDA) - Research, Development, and AcquisitionMarine Corps Forces Command (COMMARFORCOM)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Analysis of the specifications and capabilities for the next-generation LRUSV

NPS NRP Executive SummaryBased on recent priorities for digital engineering strategy within DoD, there is an opportunity for coordinated research efforts tailored towards unmanned surface vehicles. Such efforts are focused on utilization of models to inform decision making based on a single source of authoritative truth, facilitating integration of new technologies and improvement to coordination and communication across stakeholders and engineers. In support of those objectives, this work proposes a coordination of research and design work as appropriate. The primary focus is the analysis of capabilities and functions for the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV). To expand that design and to demonstrate the utility of digital engineering as an integrating mechanism, this work will utilize the ship design experience and expertise of Navy engineers and the operational experience of NPS students to conduct innovative early stage design projects that examine both the operational and design considerations for unmanned surface vessels. The operational modeling conducted at NPS will focus on the full spectrum of vessel operations. In accordance with the digital engineering concept, that operational modeling will be conducted simultaneously with an expanded analysis effort, with an emphasis on a shared starting point and problem set. This will result in a more focused tradeoff environment, where operational experience and input informs the design effort of engineers and the design experience of engineers informs operational modeling and capability assessment. Joint Cross-service Research Project ID NPS-21-J218-A (combines topics NPS-21-N218 and NPS-21-M181)PEO C4I (PMW 760)ASN(RDA) - Research, Development, and AcquisitionMarine Corps Forces Command (COMMARFORCOM)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Acute and developmental behavioral effects of flame retardants and related chemicals in zebrafish

As polybrominated diphenyl ethers are phased out, numerous compounds are emerging as potential replacement flame retardants for use in consumer and electronic products. Little is known, however, about the neurobehavioral toxicity of these replacements. This study evaluated the neurobehavioral effects of acute or developmental exposure to t-butylphenyl diphenyl phosphate (BPDP), 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDP), isodecyl diphenyl phosphate (IDDP), isopropylated phenyl phosphate (IPP), tricresyl phosphate (TMPP; also abbreviated TCP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP; also abbreviated TPP), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris (1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP; also abbreviated TDCPP), tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), and 2,2-,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae. Larvae (n ≈ 24 per dose per compound) were exposed to test compounds (0.4–120 µM) at sub-teratogenic concentrations either developmentally or acutely, and locomotor activity was assessed at 6 days post fertilization. When given developmentally, all chemicals except BPDP, IDDP and TBBPA produced behavioral effects. When given acutely, all chemicals produced behavioral effects, with TPHP, TBBPA, EHDP, IPP, and BPDP eliciting the most effects at the most concentrations. The results indicate that these replacement flame retardants may have developmental or pharmacological effects on the vertebrate nervous system