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  • Naval Technology

    I saw this this AM, found it interesting, and thought some here might also be interested.

    (also, "naval technology" is one of the suggested topics mentioned in the forum subheader)


    NRL Researchers Develop Improved Non-Skid Coating for Shipboard Applications
    06/12/2012 07:00 EDT - NRL News Release 41-12r
    Contact: Donna McKinney, (202) 767-2541

    Scientists in the Chemistry Division at the Naval Research Laboratory have developed a novel two-component siloxane-based non-skid coating for use on flight-decks and walk-ways of U.S. Navy ships. The new coating is more durable, color retentive, chemical resistant and cheaper due to a longer life expectancy than traditional epoxy-based coatings. This research is funded by the Office of Naval Research's (ONR's) Future Naval Capability Program (Dr. Airan Perez) and supported by Naval Sea Systems Command.

    Mr. John Wegand, program team member, at NRL's Center for Corrosion Science and Engineering, explains "The new siloxane-based coating possesses greater external durability in harsh operational environments, improved traction capabilities, ease of application and most importantly, a longer life-span reducing the overall cost of the elements compared to the current epoxy and amine component coating. The new coating is quite versatile; it can be rolled or spray-applied over either a primed or bare-metal surface. We have noted extremely positive results from our recent demonstrations conducted on several Navy ships based in Norfolk, Virginia."

    The Navy installs nearly 3.7 million square feet of non-skid coating per year at an annual cost of over $56 million. The maximum life expectancy of the present non-skid coating is just 18 months. These coatings are composed of aromatic epoxy resins, which although initially provide good hardness and chemical resistance, are notorious for degrading rapidly when exposed to the harsh external environmental conditions that the U.S. Navy routinely encounters at sea. The material is also difficult to apply because of its short pot life and slow drying time. Both of these attributes often lead to premature failure or damage to the coatings

    Demonstration results of the newly developed silicon based non-skid coating have shown it to be much stronger, durable, color retentive, chemical resistant and much more forgiving in the application process than the current coating. Its versatility allows for application by either spraying or rolling over either primed or directly to clean and blasted steel surfaces, because of its improved bonding capabilities. "Test results proved our new coating material greatly outperformed the current coating and met all research goals for this program, especially with regard to UV and chemical resistance," concluded Mr. Wegand

    As the technical lead for ONR and NAVSEA, the NRL research team's main objective was to extend the service life of Navy non-skid systems. This includes identifying, developing and/or testing next-generation non-epoxy alternatives for extended durability flight and general deck performance, as well as addressing heat-resistant issues associated with current and future vertical launch aircraft requirements.
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  • #2
    Wonder if I can get a discount on some of this paint for an old warhorse. Sounds like just the thing for a decade at least.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by tbm3fan View Post
      Wonder if I can get a discount on some of this paint for an old warhorse. Sounds like just the thing for a decade at least.
      Its probably a long shot, but it might be worth trying to get an "old warhorse" included in long term testing of new coatings, new processes.
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      • #4
        Re: Old War Horse"... candidate ????

        Originally posted by JRT View Post
        Its probably a long shot, but it might be worth trying to get an "old warhorse" included in long term testing of new coatings, new processes.
        I wonder where one might find a "warhorse a.k.a, subject to serve as a test bed"??? ;)

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        • #5
          if this is true, every surface Sailor in the US Navy should buy those guys all the beer they EVER want.. chipping nonskid is nasty business, that shouldn't have to be done as much as it is, especially when your underway on a deployment.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by dundonrl View Post
            if this is true, every surface Sailor in the US Navy should buy those guys all the beer they EVER want.. chipping nonskid is nasty business, that shouldn't have to be done as much as it is, especially when your underway on a deployment.
            Choose your rate, choose your fate!

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Native View Post
              Choose your rate, choose your fate!
              doesn't really matter any more.. since I've had guys from engineering up on deck chipping paint, the same that myself as a Fire Controlman have been down in engineering spaces cleaning them..

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              • #8
                I was a fire controlman as well, and I've chipped, wire-brushed and needle-gunned many a deck and bulkhead and then painted them, as well as repaired elevator hoists, installed magazine piping, lagging and performed maintenance on all the fittings, water tight or otherwise in my spaces. Ships maintenance knows no ratings boundaries, if it's your space it's your responsibility.

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                • #9
                  It was a joke guys, if you were in, then surely you heard it.
                  Obviously some rates did less dirty work than others....

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) ... Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs) with potential for significantly reducing fuel consumption in future gas-turbine engines.

                    Navy Researchers Look to Rotating Detonation Engines to Power the Future

                    02 November 2012 - U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

                    With its strong dependence on gas-turbine engines for propulsion, the U.S. Navy is always looking for ways to improve the fuel consumption of these engines. At the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), scientists are studying the complex physics of Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs) which offer the potential for high dollar savings by way of reduced fuel consumption in gas-turbine engines, explains Dr. Kazhikathra Kailasanath, who heads NRL's Laboratories for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics.

                    Many Navy aircraft use gas-turbine engines for propulsion, with the Navy's gas-turbine engines being fundamentally similar to engines used in commercial airplanes. The Navy also depends on gas-turbine engines to provide propulsion and electricity for many of its ships. Even as future ships move toward the model of an "all electric" propulsion system, they will still need gas-turbine engines to produce electricity for the propulsion system and other critical systems. So building a gas-turbine engine that can handle the Navy's requirements for its warfighting ships and provide a fuel-efficient engine is a high priority for researchers.
                    The U.S. Navy finds gas-turbine engines attractive because they scale nicely to large powers, are relatively small and self-contained, and are relatively easy to maintain. The gas-turbine engines the Navy uses today are based on the Brayton thermodynamic cycle, where air is compressed and mixed with fuel, combusted at a constant pressure, and expanded to do work for either generating electricity or for propulsion. To significantly improve the performance of gas-turbine engines, researchers need to look beyond the Brayton cycle to explore alternative and possibly more innovative cycles.

                    NRL researchers believe that one attractive possibility is to use the detonation cycle instead of the Brayton cycle for powering a gas-turbine. NRL has been on the forefront of this research for the last decade and has been a major player in developing Pulse Detonation Engines (PDEs). The Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE) is an even more attractive and different strategy for using the detonation cycle to obtain better fuel efficiency. NRL researchers have constructed a model for simulating RDEs using earlier work done on general detonations, as a foundation.

                    NRL researchers believe that RDEs have the potential to meet 10% increased power requirements as well as 25% reduction in fuel use for future Navy applications. Currently there are about 430 gas turbine engines on 129 U.S. Navy ships. These engines burn approximately 2 billion dollars worth of fuel each year. By retrofitting these engines with the rotating detonation technology, researchers estimate that the Navy could save approximately 300 to 400 million dollars a year.

                    Like PDEs, RDEs have the potential to be a disruptive technology that can significantly alter the fuel efficiency of ships and planes; however, there are several challenges that must be overcome before the benefits are realized, explains Dr. Kailasanath. NRL scientists are now focusing their current research efforts on getting a better understanding of how the RDE works and the type of performance that can be actually realized in practice.



                    NRL researchers have constructed a model of a Rotating Detonation Engine.
                    (Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

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                    The US Navy wants great (rotating, detonating) balls of fire!
                    Looks to replace its gas turbine engines with rotating detonation versions.

                    by Kyle Niemeyer
                    Nov 5 2012 - Ars Technica

                    The US Navy relies heavily on gas turbine engines to power both aircraft and ships, spending about $2 billion (with a “b”… or about one tenth of NASA’s entire budget last year) every year on fuel for them. Even a small reduction in fuel consumption would save millions of dollars, but future engines also need to meet increasing demands for power.

                    Nearly all commercial aircraft—and plenty of power plants—use gas turbines, so we’ve spent a lot of time optimizing their designs. This means that trying to continue to improve them will only eke out a few more percentage points of efficiency. In order to reach both the increased power levels and reduced fuel consumption the Navy wants—10 percent and 25 percent, respectively—we’ve got to come up with entirely new engine designs. (Just like automotive engineers, as we recently featured.)

                    Any new technology that the Navy develops could also be used in civilian aircraft and power plants. For a little perspective, US airlines spent over $50 billion on fuel last year.

                    With that in mind, a team at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), led by Dr. Kazhikathra Kailasanath, are developing rotating detonation engines, which should offer the higher efficiency and power output desired.

                    Gas turbines operate on the Brayton cycle, which consists of three steps. First, a compressor raises the pressure of the incoming air. Then, fuel is injected and mixes with the air, then burns, heating everything up. Since the system is open—rather than in a closed cylinder—this process occurs at a nearly constant pressure. Finally, this hot pressurized gas expands through a nozzle to generate thrust, either for propulsion or to push a turbine and generate electricity.

                    The main limitation to performance is the combustion step. Like nearly every other type of burning experienced in day-to-day life, it is a deflagration, where the flame propagates at a subsonic speed.

                    A detonation is a flame where the reacting gases release so much energy so quickly that the burning mixture moves faster than the speed of sound, driving a shock wave. Unlike a deflagration, a detonation significantly raises the pressure, increasing the available work—without requiring any additional mechanical components. Essentially, using a detonation allows you to reach much higher efficiencies.

                    While concepts for engines using detonation go all the way back to Robert Goddard and even Jules Verne, practical research beginning in the 1990s focused on the pulse detonation engine (PDE) design. As the name suggests, pulsed explosions shoot out of the nozzle for thrust, 20–100 times a second. That may sound crazy, but a number of experimental PDE engines have been developed, and the US Air Force Research Laboratory even successfully flew a plane with one.

                    However, there are a couple of difficulties that have prevented PDEs from reaching the high efficiencies they promised. For one thing, it’s tricky to initiate a detonation repeatedly at these rates—many times a second. (You can check out our previous report on the transition from deflagration to detonation for a more detailed explanation of those challenges.)

                    Rotating detonation engines, or RDEs, offer a solution to that problem. Micro-injectors squirt a pressurized mixture of fuel and air into a combustion chamber the shape of a long ring (annular cylinder). Then, this gas mixture explodes, with the explosion spinning around the circumference at supersonic speeds. The high pressure produced by the detonation forces exhaust gases down and out of the chamber, where they expand through a nozzle and produce thrust that can be used to push a turbine or aircraft.

                    Unlike a PDE, which requires repeatedly initiating detonations, an RDE only requires one detonation that spins around and around the chamber, continuously producing thrust.

                    Of course, there are a number of challenges with this design as well. The materials must be able to withstand the high pressure and temperature from the detonation. Also, the detonation occurs right near the injector inlets, where the strong pressure could actually push gases backwards.

                    To further complicate matters, since this is a relatively new concept, we don’t really understand (yet) the forces and heat fluxes that the combustion chamber experiences, making it difficult to optimize the design. By conducting simulations of RDEs with various fuels, researchers at NRL are trying to better understand the flow physics inside the combustion chamber. In a recent paper, simulation results showed that RDEs fueled with different hydrocarbons could reach fuel efficiencies, measured in specific impulse, of 85 to 89 percent of an ideal detonation cycle.

                    The US Navy isn’t the only group pursuing these types of engines. Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington and Russia’s Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics have also explored RDEs experimentally. Hopefully, in a few years, this progress will lead to a working engine.

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                    What makes the fuel go boom? Turbulence!
                    Why do some gases burn, and others create explosive fireballs?

                    by Kyle Niemeyer
                    July 29 2011 - Ars Technica

                    When most people picture explosions, they probably imagine a huge ball of expanding gas, perhaps with an action hero just barely outrunning the leading edge. In reality, though, there are two types of explosions: deflagrations and detonations. Deflagrations are flames that propagate at subsonic speeds, and we encounter those in day-to-day life, in the pistons of internal combustion engines, and above Bunsen burners and gas stoves.

                    Detonations, on the other hand, propagate at supersonic speeds and consist of hot, high-pressure reacting gases. These drive a shock wave that significantly compresses and heats up the oncoming gas. Typical flame speeds for deflagrations are on the order of centimeters to meters per second, while detonations expand at a speed three orders of magnitude faster (on the order of 1000 m/s).

                    Obviously, in cases of chemical processing/storage and locations such as mines, we’d like to prevent detonations from occurring due to the potential for damage caused by pressure and heat. Engine knock is also a detonation process, and can be damaging to pistons. Understanding how detonations occur also has implications for potential propulsion applications and even astrophysics—type Ia supernovae (a standard measure of distance in cosmology, and used to observe the accelerating expansion of the Universe) are driven primarily by a detonation process.

                    So, how do detonations occur? Most actually start out as deflagrations and, through a process known as the deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT), accelerate to supersonic speeds. A paper that recently appeared in Physical Review Letters describes high-resolution simulations that provided insight into just how this transition occurs in open spaces.

                    Like the transition from laminar to turbulent flows, DDT is a complex process that is still not completely understood. Chapman and Jouguet (CJ) first formalized a detonation theory in 1890 based on some extreme assumptions (an infinitely thin, one dimensional flame). It does a reasonable job at predicting the properties of established detonations, but can’t explain how they develop. Later work, done by Zel’dovich, von Neumann, and Döring (ZND) in the 1940s, added some detail to the chemistry and suggested an actual structure for the detonation wave, but still couldn’t describe how it initiated from a deflagration.

                    Some of the first real experimental work on DDT was done around 1960, but even now it isn’t clear how it occurs in unconfined situations (DDT in confined systems—that is, with walls—is better understood).

                    The authors of this paper studied DDT computationally, modeling an unconfined hydrogen-air flame using a direct numerical simulation (DNS). DNS actually solves the Navier-Stokes equations directly, without any sort of model for turbulence, unlike most fluid dynamics simulation approaches. It is able to do this by resolving all of the smallest scales where turbulence develops, with grid sizes smaller than the Kolmogorov length scale.

                    In this case, the resolution was 0.00002 m (20 microns), for a uniform grid with 256 x 256 x 4096 (or 268,435,456) cells. However, high resolution comes at a cost—only the most powerful supercomputers can do these types of simulations, and even then the layout must be fairly simple and have a small size (the width of the system here is only 0.518 cm).

                    They found that, after a period where the flames propagated at fairly steady, subsonic speed (deflagration), a slight pressure rise occurred inside the flame structure. This pressure rise is caused by heating due to turbulent (frictional) mixing. With increasing pressure, the flame accelerates, which leads to higher energy release, in turn resulting in further compression and acceleration, and so on—a feedback loop that causes a catastrophic runaway to detonation. The authors also performed similar simulations using a methane-air mixture—this produced slightly different results, but the same runaway DDT process still occurred.

                    It’s long been hypothesized that turbulent heating is the cause of DDT, but this is the first clear evidence in the case of an unconfined flame. In order to make realistic predictions for practical cases (such as occupational safety or simulating supernovae), however, more accurate chemistry needs to be included—the current case modeled a reaction where the fuel and oxidizer convert into products in a single step. This is acceptable for preliminary results such as these, but leaves out a lot of detail. Even so, this work is a major step on our way to understanding how detonations occur.

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                    Last edited by JRT; 12 Nov 12,, 01:17.
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                    • #11



                      US Navy in discussions over buoy surveillance system
                      Intellicheck Mobilisa has applied for export licence

                      Jane's Navy International
                      11/21/2012

                      The US Navy's floating area network littoral sensor grid project successfully developed a persistent, maritime situational awareness capability. Wireless buoy developer Intellicheck Mobilisa is acquiring an export licence to sell the technology internationally.

                      Following demonstrations of a buoy-based sensor system deployed near Washington, DC, and in the United States' Pacific Northwest, the US Navy (USN) is in discussions to transfer the maritime monitoring and surveillance technology to other programmes and government organisations, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) officials told IHS Jane's.

                      The navy funded the development of a floating area network littoral sensor grid (FAN LSG) as part of a research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) project for a waterborne, persistent, maritime situational awareness system. The FAN LSG is composed of buoys with sensor payloads, land-based communications systems, and computers and software to control the buoy sensors and to process and display the data.

                      Intellicheck Mobilisa, based in Port Townsend, Washington, developed the wireless buoy system for the FAN LSG project. Eight of its so-called Aegeus buoys are deployed in Puget Sound and one buoy is deployed in the Potomac River downstream from Washington, DC. Powered by solar and wind energy, the buoys are outfitted with electro-optical (EO), infrared (IR), and thermal sensors; radiation detectors; and other environmental monitoring equipment. They survey the waterways and communicate data back to shore via the company's wireless, over-water network.

                      "The RDT&E project has concluded successfully in developing a capability for persistent, maritime situational awareness," NAVSEA's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships told IHS Jane's in a statement. "There are discussions under way regarding [the] possible transfer of the assets developed under the RDT&E project to programs or organisations that could utilize them. There are currently no plans to develop or procure any additional FAN LSG assets under a programme of record."

                      For its part, Intellicheck Mobilisa has applied for an export licence to sell the technology to other countries.

                      "We've seen enormous international demand for the buoy," Intellicheck Mobilisa's chief executive officer, Steve Williams, told IHS Jane's during a demonstration of the Potomac River buoy in early November. Nations such as Japan, Jordan, Somalia, Trinidad, and the United Arab Emirates have expressed interest in potentially procuring the systems to monitor their coastlines.

                      With its 26 km coastline along the Gulf of Aqaba, which leads to the Red Sea, Jordan could cover its maritime border with only a couple buoys, Williams said. The buoys have a visual range of about 14 km in daylight and 4 km at night.

                      "We're used to standing on land and looking out at the water," Williams said. "Now you have the ability to put an invisible fence around the country."

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                      Buoy system helps protect U.S. ports
                      Homeland Security Newswire
                      Published 15 August 2011

                      With America’s ports, waterways, and vessels handling more than $700 billion in goods annually, a terrorist attack on the system would have a crippling effect on the U.S. economy; to help mitigate these threats, Intellicheck Mobilisa has developed Aegeus, a series of buoys which have the capability of creating a surveillance perimeter that detects incoming vessels, biological substances, and even nuclear bombs.

                      [ATTACH=CONFIG]30833[/ATTACH]
                      With America’s ports, waterways, and vessels handling more than $700 billion in goods annually, a terrorist attack on the system would have a crippling effect on the U.S. economy. DHS officials have long sought to bolster port security, but have struggled to implement effective strategies that keep America’s waterways safe.

                      Last year a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that despite positive strides made in improving security, the U.S. Coast Guard’s radars and tracking systems “generally cannot track small vessels and resource constraints limit the Coast Guard’s ability to meet security activity goals.”

                      In light of the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 when a small vessel laden with explosives rammed into the Navy Destroyer killing seventeen and injuring thirty-nine, this is a serious concern.

                      To help mitigate these threats, Intellicheck Mobilisa has developed Aegeus, a series of buoys which have the capability of creating a surveillance perimeter that detects incoming vessels, biological substances, and even nuclear bombs.

                      “It’s designed to detect anything in the air, on the surface of the water, or below the surface from the water and it can detect things like radiation, any kind of toxins, or bio-chemical releases,” explained Steve Williams, the CEO of Intellicheck Mobilisa.

                      Each buoy comes with a customizable suite of sensors that include radiation detectors, chemical and biological sensors that test the air and the water, acoustic monitoring, and radars. Once the buoys detect an anomaly, it will send an alert to an operations center where personnel can use the buoy’s daytime, infrared, or low-light cameras to view the situation in real-time.

                      “It effectively pushes out your security perimeter and ultimately gives you more time to respond to an incident,” Williams said.

                      As an example, Williams pointed to their potential deployment with the Navy. “If a carrier strike group were to drop a few buoys, they would be able to detect some unusual movement or when ships are approaching earlier so they can respond accordingly,” he said.

                      The buoys are also equally at home resting in waters closer to America’s coastline. One of the company’s buoys is currently deployed in the Potomac River several miles outside of the U.S. capital giving the Coast Guard an advance warning of any potential incoming threats.

                      Williams said that the buoy has a range that covers “shore to shore,” so the Coast Guard can see “any and every boat coming up and down the river.”

                      The company initially began developing Aegeus in 2009 as part of a $20 million Navy research and development program. Since then the company has expanded the system to include homeland security uses as well as environmental monitoring capabilities.

                      The buoys can be outfitted with several different arrangements of sensors depending on their use. For instance seven buoys are currently deployed in Puget Sound off the coast of Washington and help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitor wind shear.

                      Using the data from the buoys NOAA can now identify microbursts and wind shear ahead of and after a storm and report them to pilots in the air. In addition, the buoy deployed in the Potomac is located near a bridge, so NOAA now has the ability to advise local authorities on when it should close the bridge if the winds before or after a storm are too dangerous. The devices also measure water temperature, pH balance, and can even detect oil spills.

                      Each buoy generates its own power with the help of solar panels and relies on the company’s Wireless Over Water (WOW) technology to transmit data. With this system in place, the buoys can act as a wireless communications network for ships instead of satellite relays.

                      The buoys start at roughly $100,000 and can cost as much as $500,000, depending on the sensors it is equipped with.

                      Moving forward the company is competing for another Navy contract and Williams says that the buoys have piqued the interest of port operators.

                      “We’re seeing significant interest from port operators who want the ability to see ships coming into their ports before they get in and tie them up,” he said.

                      The company recently completed its research and development phase and is now entering its deployment and operation phase

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                      A Buoy-Based Security System For Our Ports
                      By Michael Myser Posted 09.04.2012 at 4:52 pm


                      About 40 percent of U.S. trade—some $1.4 trillion a year—passes through the country’s 360 ports and waterways. (The rest arrives via truck, rail or plane.) And despite increased protection since 9/11, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says that these ports remain especially vulnerable to attack from small vessels carrying improvised explosive devices, including radioactive dirty bombs.

                      The problem is that today’s radar and video-based systems have trouble accurately tracking small boats. Intellicheck Mobilisa, a wireless-technology firm in Port Townsend, Washington, is trying to address this vulnerability with the first buoy system that can communicate in real time to the shore. The system uses radiation detectors and video cameras to find and track potentially dangerous vessels. Each buoy also carries sensors that detect weather and water conditions for environmental research. And they do it all using primarily off-the-shelf technologies, which keep the cost at $100,000 each. That’s cheap, considering that just nine buoys could protect all of Washington State’s Puget Sound and the more than $80 billion worth of goods that travel through it each year. This month, the Navy will run the first full-scale demonstration of the system, tracking a vessel through 11 miles of the corridor that leads to Seattle.

                      HOW TO PROTECT A PORT
                      1. A small boat enters the area. The radiation sensor on the buoy closest to the craft detects a spike, indicating that the boat could be carrying a dirty bomb.

                      2. An onboard, off-the-shelf computer slightly larger than a laptop sends text messages and e-mails to coastguardsmen on shore informing them of the spike. The buoy examines patterns in shore-based radar to determine the ship’s location and points its camera in that direction. The camera also wakes up other buoys in the area, which start scanning for additional ships.

                      3. Using computers or smartphones, coastguardsmen take control of the system, using the buoys’ cameras to watch the suspicious vessel and survey the harbor. They review the video and audio recordings captured by the first buoy. If necessary, they can remotely steer the buoys closer to the ship to take additional radiation readings.

                      4. If coastguardsmen determine that they need to intercept the boat, speedboats and helicopters stop it before it reaches shore.

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                      Intellicheck Mobilisa Announces Executive Changes

                      By Business Wire via The Motley Fool
                      Posted 10:13AM 11/13/12

                      By unanimous direction of Board of Directors, Dr. Nelson Ludlow Appointed President and CEO and Admiral Michael D. Malone Appointed Chairman Effective Immediately

                      PORT TOWNSEND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Intellicheck Mobilisa, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IDN) (the "Company"), a global leader in access control and wireless security systems, by unanimous direction of the Board of Directors, today announced Dr. Nelson Ludlow, the Company's Chairman of the Board of Directors, will now serve as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He replaces Steve Williams as President and CEO, who was separated from the Company. Dr. Ludlow, who previously served as President and CEO of Mobilisa as founder from 2001 through 2008, and President and CEO of Intellicheck Mobilisa from the merger in 2008 to March 2011, will now be leading the Company's overall vision, strategic growth and product development. Michael D. Malone, Vice Admiral, US Navy, Retired, who was appointed to the Company's Board of Directors in June 2011, will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective immediately.

                      Dr. Ludlow said, "I look forward to serving once again as President and CEO at Intellicheck Mobilisa, particularly at this critical time. The Company has superior technology in the identity and wireless industries and we plan to reemphasize innovation and new product development. Our goals are to expand our product lines, partnerships and our customer base. I am also extremely enthusiastic about the appointment to Chairman of Admiral Malone, who has provided essential strategic guidance to the Company as a member of the Board. He has a wealth of experience both in the Navy and in the corporate world, growing a company that was successfully acquired by Boeing."

                      Dr. Ludlow has over 30 years' experience in software development for the military and corporate sectors. While in the Air Force, Dr. Ludlow served as a mathematician, a pilot, an intelligence officer at the National Air Intelligence Center, Technical Director for Artificial Intelligence at USAF Rome Laboratory, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Director of Technology and Services for Radar Evaluation Squadron. In the corporate sector, Dr. Ludlow served as the Director of C2 Modeling for SAIC, Chief Scientist for the ORINCON Corporation and Chief Technology Officer for Ameranth Wireless. He holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and Post-Doctoral research in Computer Science at the University of Cambridge, England.

                      Admiral Malone said, "With its robust product portfolio and the right leadership, Intellicheck Mobilisa has the right ingredients for organic growth. I am grateful to oversee this progress as Chairman, and I look forward to working more closely with Nelson as he once again takes the reins as President and CEO. I and the rest of the Board are confident that with his leadership, the Company is on the right track for success over the coming years."

                      Admiral Malone serves as a technical advisor and consultant to Pequot Capital, a venture capital firm, and Environmental Tectonics Corporation (OTCQB: ETCC), a high technology simulation and manufacturing company. He also recently joined the board of directors at Environmental Tetonics Corporation. He has conducted various due diligence projects in support of Pequot investments/acquisitions and has developed a government marketing strategy for ETC. Prior to joining Skarven Enterprises (now Kestrel, a division of The Boeing Company) in 2004, Admiral Malone served 34 years in the US Navy. As a Naval Aviator, he commanded a Strike Fighter Squadron, a Navy replenishment ship, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier (USS Enterprise) and an Aircraft Carrier Strike Group. His final two assignments were in the leadership of Naval Aviation, including two years as Commander, Naval Air Forces (CEO for Naval Aviation). He is a 1970 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. His graduate education includes the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program, and studies at the National Defense University, Harvard University, and The George Washington University.

                      About Intellicheck Mobilisa

                      Intellicheck Mobilisa is a leading technology company that is engaged in developing and marketing wireless technology and identity systems for various applications, including mobile and handheld access control and security systems for the government, military and commercial markets. Products include the Fugitive Finder system, an advanced ID card access control product currently protecting approximately 100 military and federal locations; ID Check, a patented technology that instantly reads, analyzes, and verifies encoded data in magnetic stripes and barcodes on government-issued IDs from U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions, designed to improve the Customer Experience for the financial, hospitality and retail sectors; and Aegeus, a wireless security buoy system for the government, military and oil industry. For more news and information on Intellicheck Mobilisa, please visit Welcome to Intellicheck/Mobilisa | Intellicheck/Mobilisa.

                      Safe Harbor Statement

                      Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. When used in this press release, words such as "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "encouraged," and similar expressions, as they relate to the company or its management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the company's management identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the information presented here. Additional information concerning forward-looking statements is contained under the heading of risk factors listed from time to time in the company's filings with the SEC. We do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information.

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                      Last edited by JRT; 21 Nov 12,, 23:09.
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                      • #12
                        As for that non-skid coating, I think what they are trying to sell is Bed Liner that you use in the bed of your pick-em-up truck. It is very, very durable and has some flexibility to it. MYTHBUSTERS tried some amazing tests with it.

                        Problem: It costs $100.00 a gallon. It takes one gallon to put two coats on a standard 6'-4" truck bed including the sides and tail gate. If you have a full size 8'-2" bed it takes another quart.

                        So, better check on what it really is and how much it costs first.
                        Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                        • #13
                          Two year old story on applications of quantum physics, but still new enough to highlight advancements in underwater communications.

                          China's Great (Quantum) Leap Forward

                          By Christopher Shay
                          Thursday, Sept. 09, 2010
                          Time

                          Like a pair of male turkeys puffing up their chests at each other, the U.S. and Chinese militaries are back at it again, engaging in tit-for-tat military exercises in the Yellow Sea. On Sept. 4, the Chinese navy finished live artillery maneuvers, using some of its newest planes, ships and battlefield weaponry in a publicly announced show of military strength. Though Chinese state media called the war games "routine," the timing of the event — just days before a scheduled U.S.-South Korea anti-submarine exercise in the same waters — suggests it's more likely an attempt to send the U.S. a simple message: This is our backyard.

                          After watching U.S.-led forces obliterate a Soviet-style Iraqi military in the first Gulf War, China realized it needed to improve its own outdated army. It has increased military expenditures every year for the past two decades. While Chinese officials called the relationship with the U.S. "stable" during talks in Beijing this week, given China's ambitions in the region, tensions between the two are sure to continue. Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, says China is "working towards a sphere of influence," and with their stronger military, they can now "send signals they couldn't before."

                          Thanks to a recent technological breakthrough, that's true literally, too. While China has been showing off its new hardware, a potentially more important military advancement has gone largely unnoticed: In May, Chinese scientists announced a demonstration of "quantum teleportation" over 16 kilometers (10 miles), creating what Matthew Luce, a researcher at the Defense Group Inc.'s Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, calls "secure communications guaranteed by the laws of physics." China is now at the cutting-edge of military communications, transforming the field of cryptography and spotlighting a growing communications arms race.

                          While the People's Liberation Army won't be beaming up objects Star Trek-style anytime soon, the new technology could greatly enhance its command and control capabilities. Scientists use machines to manipulate units of light called photons. By changing the photons' quantum states and creating a new, readable pattern not unlike Morse code, they can pass on simple messages or encryption codes. A group of researchers from Tsinghua University and the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences entangled pairs of photons — linking them so changes to one photon will be instantaneously transferred to the other. Using a high-powered blue laser (the type China appears to be investing in for its submarine fleet), they then transported the quantum information farther than anyone had done before, their paper in Nature Photonics claims.

                          The process is called teleportation, but the information in the message is not actually moved. Instead, changes to one photon's quantum state will be adopted instantly by the other — something Einstein famously called "spooky action at a distance." The result is akin to having two pieces of paper 10 miles apart, and as a person writes on one paper the message simultaneously appears on the other.

                          Why is this superior to e-mail or radio? Because, theoretically, this method "cannot be cracked or intercepted," says Luce. If the photons in the laser beam are observed by a third party, the particles themselves will be altered due to a law of physics called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which states that measuring a particle alters it. As such, the sender and receiver would be immediately informed that someone was snooping.

                          At the 16km distance tested, China would be able to send these secure messages from its network of satellites to units on the ground. Luce also says the choice of a blue laser — instead of an infrared one like the U.S. has been testing — was chosen with its growing submarine fleet in mind since blue lasers penetrate farther underwater. Soon, Chinese satellites could be able to communicate with submarines without them needing to surface or give away their location by breaking radio silence. This may sound like science-fiction, but quantum encryption is already used by a few banks and governments for highly sensitive information on a smaller scale. The Chinese scientists write in Nature Photonics that a quantum communication network could be "within reach of current technology on a global scale."

                          The advance in secure communications comes none too soon. With ever-increasing computing power, the expiration date on today's cryptography techniques could be looming, Luce says. Right now, breaking modern encryption techniques require such computing power that one can change the code long before a computer has time to crack it. But "it's become very difficult to 'future proof' the encryption of data," Luce writes for the Jamestown Foundation. Tomorrow's computers will improve and data could suddenly become unprotected, while quantum teleportation, he says, "has a seemingly infinite time horizon."

                          Though the Chinese scientists claim in their peer-reviewed paper that this experiment communicated quantum information more than 20 times farther than previous tests over open space, this may not be entirely true. According to Luce in 2005, a group of universities along with defense corporations with a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) transferred quantum information over 23 km (14 miles) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Though Luce writes that a few differences in the DARPA project "may not technically disqualify the Chinese" from their claims, it's clear the U.S. military is also investing in this technology. Luce says it's difficult to know how far the U.S. is in developing quantum teleportation, "because a lot of the U.S. work is classified."

                          Of course, what's possible in theory — perfectly secure communication — is different from what will happen in practice. Luce suspects China's pioneering research in this technology is as much an attempt to find weaknesses in a possible U.S. quantum security network as it is to develop its own. Roy of the East-West Center says one of China's "pockets of excellence" is its cyber-warfare capability. If developed by the U.S., however, this technology could help neutralize China's ability to break into sensitive computer systems. Less than two weeks ago, researchers from Germany and Norway claim to have hacked a commercial quantum cryptography system by exploiting flaws in its detection equipment. It doesn't undermine the fundamental principle of secure quantum messaging, but it is a reminder that there is almost always a loophole. "The security of quantum cryptography relies on quantum physics but not only," Gerd Leuchs, a professor at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, says in a press release announcing the vulnerabilities. "It must also be properly implemented."

                          No one claims that the Chinese military will surpass the U.S.' anytime soon, but it isn't just dueling naval exercises that will determine pecking order. It's also how fast China can integrate the newest technologies into its military, maintaining its strengths like cyber-warfare while improving the PLA's precision, coordination and secrecy. In these ways, China has made a quantum leap forward.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by US_Naval_Research_Lab
                            NRL-developed Topcoat Applied on Entire Freeboard of Navy Ship

                            07/17/2017

                            WASHINGTON – Recently, a novel coating developed by researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) for the exterior topsides of Navy surface ships went beyond small area testing to covering the entire freeboard of an amphibious assault ship.

                            Until April of 2017, NRL’s single-component (1K) polysiloxane coating had only been tested on 400-800 sq.ft. areas of ships due to limited production quantities and the typical size of topside paint repairs conducted by their crews.

                            [ATTACH=CONFIG]44205[/ATTACH]
                            SAN DIEGO – Port side view of USS Essex (LHD 2) after full application of an NRL-developed 1K polysiloxane topcoat in 2017. The Essex’s entire freeboard, approximately 105,000 sq. ft., was covered with 320 gallons in about four weeks. NRL’s patented 1K topcoat has demonstrated better exterior durability compared to legacy surface ship.
                            However, based on positive Sailor feedback, and the 1K coating’s outperformance of existing coatings with regard to color and gloss retention in sunlight, Sailors from the USS Essex (LHD-2) requested that larger quantities of the 1K polysiloxane coating be produced to paint the entire freeboard, approximately 105,000 sq.ft.

                            Painting with 1K also helped return the ship to its required semi-gloss, haze gray camouflage appearance.

                            Dr. Erick Iezzi of NRL’s Chemistry Division is the principal investigator and inventor of the 1K technology.

                            “The Navy was in need of a better solution for all the topside painting performed by Sailors on surface ships,” Iezzi said. “The 1K is advantageous in that it provides greater than 5 times the retention of visual camouflage and better resistance to shipboard contaminants, such as running rust and soot, than the legacy silicone alkyds, which should reduce future costs to the Navy by eliminating the need to overcoat the latter every 9 to 12 months as a result of discoloration and staining.”

                            The application on the freeboard of the USS Essex was performed entirely by Sailors, consumed more than 300 gallons of the 1K polysiloxane, and took about 4 weeks to complete.

                            Single-component refers to an all-in-one-can system that does not require the measuring and mixing of two or more components before application, thus providing a “user-friendly” system for Sailors when applying on ships.

                            “The 1K polysiloxane is easy to use. There is no mixing, surface preparation is easy, and it covers well,” said Lt. j.g. Donald Ham, Essex’s Assistant Deck Department Head. “We painted our entire hull with approximately 320 gallons of the 1K, whereas it would have taken greater quantities of qualified two-component (2K) polysiloxanes. Thus, we not only saved time, but we saved money. The best part is that the 1K polysiloxane rolls-on the ship just like the legacy silicone alkyds."

                            [ATTACH=CONFIG]44206[/ATTACH]
                            SAN DIEGO – Sailors roll-applying the NRL-developed 1K polysiloxane topcoat on the starboard side of USS Essex (LHD 2) in 2017.
                            Funding for development, optimization and transition of the technology was provided by the Naval Sea Systems (NAVSEA) Command.

                            "The 1K polysiloxane coating has tremendous potential,” said Mark Lattner, manager for the NAVSEA Paint Center of Excellence program. “If the application on the USS Essex performs as expected, our Sailors will be empowered with an advanced coating technology that is robust, easy to use, and will yield significant cost avoidance.”

                            NRL representatives and NAVSEA Corrosion Control Assistance Team (CCAT) members oversaw the application on the USS Essex and documented all aspects of the application. The performance of the 1K polysiloxane on the USS Essex will be monitored for several years, although the coating is estimated to be on the Qualified Products Database (QPD) by August 2017. The 1K polysiloxane is expected to save the Navy several million dollars annually once fully implemented.

                            The patented technology, U.S. 9139753, has been licensed to a coating manufacturer for optimization and scale-up, and testing to the Navy’s MIL-PRF-24635, Type V (high-durability) topside performance requirements were supervised by James Tagert of NRL’s Chemistry Division.

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                            • #15
                              NRL 1K topcoat... I want it!

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