Academic literature on the topic 'ARI Field Unit at Fort Bliss'

The Fort Hood Field Unit of the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) provided support to the TRADOC Combined Arms Test Activity (TCATA) conduct of the Follow-On Evaluation (FOE) of the M9 ACE. The FOE was conducted at Fort Hood, Texas over a 15-week period from March through June 1985, by TCATA for the U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation Agency (USAOTEA). This paper describes the human factors assessment support and findings provided to the evaluation by ARI. The primary objective of the assessment was to identify human factors engineering (man-machine) deficiencies that distract from M9 operational effectiveness and maintainability.

AlliedSignal Engines is addressing the critical concerns that are slowing commercialization of structural ceramics in gas turbines. The 331-200[CT] auxiliary power unit (APU) test bed features ceramic first-stage nozzles and blades. Fabrication of ceramic components provides manufacturing process demonstration scale-up to the minimum levels needed for commercial viability. On-site endurance tests are demonstrating component reliability, and additional field testing in APUs onboard commercial aircraft and stationary industrial engines is planned. Manufacturing scale-up activities showed significant progress during 1998. Subcontractors AlliedSignal Ceramic Components (Torrance, CA) and Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation (Vancouver, WA) transitioned process refinements to full demonstration. Both suppliers achieved demonstration capability of ceramic nozzle production at the rate of 100 pieces/month. These suppliers are also developing fixed processes to fabricate ceramic integrally-bladed turbine rotor disks (“blisks”). Ceramic design technology advanced, and 776 hours engine operational testing of a ceramic blisk were successfully completed. Ceramic turbine nozzles were readied for planned field demonstrations, with 2.213 hours of engine endurance testing completed. High-temperature ceramic material tests in the cyclic oxidation test rigs were initiated, to establish functional operating temperature limits for current silicon nitride materials in gas turbine environments. This work was funded as part of the Turbine Engine Technologies Program by the U.S. Dept. of Energy Office of Transportation Technologies under Contract No. DE-AC02-96EE50454.