U-429-09-DWO IM Adv Aero Contract Deliverables

UNCLASSIFIED
understanding of !he research area, hut is also able to provide his personal
accounts ofmeerings wirh the prominent researchers. In addilion, he describes his
own experimental results, or lack thereof Because of his own personal attachment
to the field, I found the report to be somewhat captivating, as I felt a strong sense
of being close to the research and hearing.from the 'horse's mouth,' so to speak.
Despite his invol"vement, Hathaway's point o_{'vinv seems to be that of an impartial
observer and he does not appear to take sides, or seem to he trying to promote or
'sell' the research field. He does an exce!lentjoh of relaying a candid and
i,~formative survey of what, to me, seems to he a tanraliz.ing yet conlroversialfield
of study.
(b)(6)
Metallic Glasses: Status and Prospects for Aerospace Applications
l(b)(6) I
This is an excellent and highly readable Survey report that defines Metallic
glasses, the advantages and disadvantages to other composite materials, and how
their mechanical properties are both alike and d{fferentfrom those of pure metals.
These properties include strength, stiffness, and t011ghness. The author makes a
case that the processing capability meets and sometimes exceeds those of
thermoplastic polymers, and traditional metals. Glass hybrid composites are found
to excel in almost all cases to current materials in widespread use.
(b)(6)
Theory and Experiments of Invisibility Cloaking
l(b)(6) I
The report by (b)(6) describes the background and recent advances in the
field ofinrisib1 1.} c oa ing. his.field recently emerged as one qfthe most
exciting applications ofmetamaterials - art{ficially structured media possessing
unusual refractive properties. l(b)(6) l···is a pioneer in this.field, having
published one of the.first theoretical papers describing the possibility of cloaking.
This topic still evokes misunderstandings and cm~flJSion. That is not swprising:
the concept of invisibility (although not its technical im lementation) has been
preoccupying people for centuries if not millennia. (b)(6) report does an
excellent job of clearing some of this confusion and providing clear definitions of
what constitutes true cloaking/invisibility. It also honestly discusses technological
challenges to making a practical invisibility cloak.
s
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