DOW-UAP-D117, AAWSAP DIRD, Metallic Glasses for Aerospace Applications, December 2009
Department of War · 12/14/09 · Las Vegas, Nevada · Document
DOW-UAP-D117, AAWSAP DIRD, Metallic Glasses for Aerospace Applications, December 2009 is indexed as a Department of War record with incident date 12/14/09 and location Las Vegas, Nevada. This document is a Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIRD), a technical reference format used by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to capture baseline knowledge on a specific topic for later analytic use. DIRDs are best understood as reference and synthesis products rather than as original research. It is one of 38 DIRDs produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) between 2009 and 2011. Because AAWSAP s scope permitted a broad range of supporting topics, not every DIRD in the series directly concerns aerospace systems or future threat assessment. The following summary reflects the DIRD s scope and framing at the time of writing and should not be read as implying current validation of the concepts discussed. This DIRD surveys metallic glasses as a potentially important class of aerospace materials and describes their amorphous structure as offering very high strength and unusual manufacturing advantages, but also significant drawbacks, especially poor ductility and fatigue resistance. The document concludes that the most promising aerospace applications are likely to come from metallic-glass-matrix composites rather than single-phase glasses, because these composites can retain high strength while greatly improving fracture toughness and fatigue performance, potentially enough to substitute for high-strength steels in some space-limited structural uses. At the same time, the report judges that broader aerospace use will depend on substantial progress over the next 20 50 years in alloy design, processing, and especially the development of lightweight systems, including aluminum-based options. Redactions have been made to protect the identity of eyewitnesses, the location of government facilities, or potentially sensitive information about military sites not related to UAP. No redactions have been made to any files released under President Trump's directive concerning information about the nature or existence of any encounter reported as a UAP or related phenomena.
Notable / anomalous element
- The ability to produce mixed amorphous-crystalline microstructure provides the ability to control the formation and propagation of shear bands. (native PDF text, page 21)
- At present, the most promising approach to producing composite materials with the proper microstructural length scale is the formation of dendritic composites, as discussed above. (native PDF text, page 27)
- In most cases, casting is done in either a vacuum or an inert atmosphere to prevent formation of oxide particles that promote crystallization. (native PDF text, page 10)
- Critical Cooling Rate. (a) Effect of the coo ling rate on glass formation If the cooling rate ls slow (path 1), then the melt crystallizes befo re going through the glass transition. (native PDF text, page 8)
Details
- This product is one in a series of advanced technology reports produced in FY 2009 under the Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Warning Office's Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Program. (native PDF text, page 2)
- 5 Mechanical Behavior Near Room Temperature. (native PDF text, page 3)
- 6 Strength and Ductility: Plastic Deformation. (native PDF text, page 3)
- 10 Corrosion and Stress-Corrosion Cracking. (native PDF text, page 3)
- 10 Mechanical Behavior at Elevated Temperature. (native PDF text, page 3)
- 11 Other Properties: Magnetic, Electrical, Optical, Thermal, and Acoustic. (native PDF text, page 3)
- W&& Current Challenges and Prospects for the Future. (native PDF text, page 4)
- 20 Thermo physical Properties and Thermoplastic Processing. (native PDF text, page 4)
Tags: War Department, Nevada, AAWSAP, Technical research, Weapons