The Navy has played a key role in the develop- 

 ment of new metals and alloys. Research contin- 

 ues on titanium, including effort to improve work- 

 ability by rare earth additions and the analysis of 

 fatigue behavior in beta titanium alloys. Work is 

 also being done on laser welding of high-strength 

 steel, titanium, and aluminum alloys and laser 

 surface treatment of metal alloys. 



The Navy is currently expanding its research 

 program on amorphous metals, a new class of 

 materials prepared by very rapid cooling from the 

 vapor or liquid state. The recent availability of 

 amorphous alloy filaments from commercial 

 sources and the discovery of the amorphous state 

 in sputtered metals have created great interest in 

 their potential, but research is needed to explore 

 the mechanical and magnetic properties of these 

 materials. 



The Navy has had great success in bringing ba- 

 sic research to bear on technological problems 

 associated with ceramic materials. Emphasis is 

 being given carbon-carbon composites in an at- 

 tempt to improve the structural reliability of rock- 

 et nozzles. Other work deals with: (I) Impact re- 

 sponse and erosion mechanisms for missile domes 

 and re-entry materials; (2) sonar ceramics involv- 

 ing processing, reliability, and dielectric stability, 

 and (3) response of optical materials to high-in- 

 tensity laser light. 



Electronics 



Future Navy advanced electronic systems re- 

 quire new and improved devices and materials for 

 significantly increased system reliability and per- 

 formance. Navy-funded research and develop- 

 ment complements the existing broad programs 

 supported by U. S. industry. The fields of micro- 

 wave and millimeter wave electromagnetic tech- 

 nology, optical/I R imaging with solid-state focal 

 plane arrays, extremely dense and fast signal pro- 

 cessing technologies, the hardening of electronic 

 devices against hostile physical environments, and 

 the search for new semiconductors operating at 

 higher speeds in unexploited portions of the elec- 

 tromagnetic spectrum are all high-priority re- 

 search areas. 



The natural environment in which future Navy 

 electronic systems will operate is being actively 

 studied. Research on electromagnetic propagation 

 and radiation through the atmosphere and iono- 

 sphere with emphasis on investigation of long- 

 range forecasts of solar and magnetospheric dis- 

 turbances of prime communication links is receiv- 

 ing priority. 



As electronic systems have become more so- 

 phisticated, they have been difficult to test primar- 

 ily due to the lack of a uniform scientific base in 



this area. Modern system theory is now capable 

 of yielding the desired route to a general theoreti- 

 cal formulation for fault analysis, detection, and 

 prediction. Consequently, these latter areas are 

 receiving increased support and emphasis, al- 

 though they are still underfunded. 



Power 



The Navy power program is acquiring the sci- 

 entific knowledge needed to exploit new and im- 

 proved power and propulsion systems for all na- 

 val applications, including ship and aircraft pro- 

 pulsion, rocket and missile propulsion, and ener- 

 getic explosives for weapons. 



Propulsion research emphasizes performance by 

 reducing weight and volume and by improving 

 efficiency without sacrificing reliability. For ship 

 propulsion, the segmented magnet homopolar 

 motor/generator offers potential for all these char- 

 acteristics at reduced costs. For future naval pro- 

 pulsion systems, the closed-cycle Brayton tur- 

 bomachine and liquid metal magnetohydro- 

 dynamic systems offer further potential improve- 

 ment. 



Research on energetic materials and their sensi- 

 tivity is addressing future Navy needs for naval 

 munitions and missiles that are very energy dense 

 while maintaining an acceptably low and estima- 

 ble risk of accidental detonation. 



Biomedical 



A major research emphasis in the biomedical 

 program deals with the problem encountered by 

 Navy and Marine Corps personnel living and 

 working in stressful environments. High pressure 

 and cold effects associated with the underwater 

 environments are studied with the objective of 

 extending diver performance in military underwa- 

 ter salvage and coastal shelf resources defense. 

 The problem related to deep diving known as the 

 "high pressure neurological syndrome" receives 

 special attention. The syndrome involves a series 

 of symptoms that start with tremors and can de- 

 velop into convulsions and death depending on 

 the pressure conditions. No satisfactory explana- 

 tion for this sequence of events has been con- 

 firmed scientifically, although most investigators 

 in the field are convinced that the effects are relat- 

 ed to the behavior of excitable membranes under 

 pressure. 



The effects of electromagnetic fields due to 

 communications equipment and radar are being 

 thoroughly investigated to prevent the restriction 

 of use of naval electronic equipment and at the 

 same time ensure human safety and environmen- 

 tal acceptability. 



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DEFENSE 



