April 16, 2009

Techno-Sciences, Inc. Wins Phase II NASA STTR Contract to Develop Adaptive Magnetorheological Isolator Technology for Ground Support Electronics

The team of Techno-Sciences Inc. (TSi), the Smart Structures Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), and LORD Corporation, has been awarded a NASA Phase II STTR contract to develop Adaptive Magnetorheological Isolator Systems (AMIs) to minimize vibration-induced damage of ground support electronics (GSE) during rocket launches. Conceived by Principal Investigator, Dr. Gregory Hiemenz of TSi, and Principal Specialists, Drs. Norman Wereley and Wei Hu of UMD, the AMIs will utilize innovative magnetorheological (MR) fluid technology to optimally protect GSE located near a major rocket launch from damaging vibration. Unlike conventional passive approaches which can only be tuned for one excitation type and one GSE rack arrangement, the AMI system will utilize integrated sensors coupled with on-board microcontrollers and processors to provide automatic adaptation to the excitation as well as to the inertial properties of the GSE rack. Because of its adaptability and optimal vibration isolation capabilities, the AMI technology will significantly reduce design and life-cycle costs, enhance equipment reliability, as well as provide shock, vibration, and acoustic protection to GSE systems. A full-scale AMI system comprised of integrated hardware and software elements will be systematically evaluated during the Phase II program.