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French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis
ANNUAL REPORT
2009
50 years ISL1959–2009
The French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis is a bi-national institution es-
tablished by the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the basis of
a treaty signed in 1958.
Additionally to its original mission “Research, scientifi c studies and basic predevelop-
ment in the armament domain”, ISL has reinforced its activities on problems of civil
security and countermeasures against terrorism encountered both at home and during
overseas military operations.
The classical working areas of ISL include: acoustics, detonics, development of laser
sources, high-power electronics, optronics and sensors, protection and environment
of soldiers, aerodynamics and fl ight mechanics, ballistics, laser-matter interaction and
high-power microwaves.
In a network of partnerships with other European institutes, technical and scientifi c
services and industrial partners, ISL offers its scientifi c and technological competence
to the Ministries of Defence for the development of new technologies to ensure the
current and future capabilities of the armed forces.
The technological concept of the DGA in France and the corresponding document of the
BMVg in Germany have led ISL to focus its capabilities on key multidisciplinary projects,
i.e. threat characterisation and protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs),
nanomaterials, lightweight medium-calibre weapons, guided supersonic projectiles.
The last two topics are studies on partial concepts of generic systems.
Within the framework of opening ISL to European structures, ISL is participating in
European Defence Agency (EDA) programmes as well as in the 7th R&D Framework
Programme (FP7) and following programmes of the European Commission. ISL is also
a member of EUROTECH and of the French National Working Group for Security (GTN)
and submits tenders to calls of the French National Research Agency (ANR) and of the
German National Security Research Programme NaSiFPrg.
French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis
Detonics: Development of laser-initiated igniters and detonators for rockets and space
applications. Correlation between explosive microstructure and shock sensitivity using
new advanced characterisation techniques. Design of special charges including cut-
ting charges, fragmentation warheads, etc. Synthesis and characterisation of new
energetic and inert nanomaterials for military and civil applications.
Protection and perforation: Active protection, new armour materials: steels and ce-
ramics, electric armour against shaped charges, medium-calibre projectiles, numerical
simulations of terminal ballistic effects, projectile with enhanced lateral effi ciency
(PELE®).
Laser sources and their applications: Modulated fi bre laser, Raman laser, counter-
measures in the IR, new laser materials ( = 2 m and 3–5 m).
Protection of military personnel: Development of innovative protectors (passive or active)
against continuous and weapon noise, improvement of audio communication in noisy
environments by using specifi c transducers and adapted signal processing techniques, im-
provement of the soldier’s “natural” capabilities for acoustic information processing.
Internal ballistics: Plasma ignition of solid propellants, ETC gun, temperature-independent
solid propellants, solid propellants with low sensitivity and high loading densities, sand-
wich powders with enhanced combustion behaviour, simulation of interior ballistics
phenomena, closed vessel experiments, spectroscopy for analysing combustion processes.
High pulsed power technology: Development of compact semiconductor switches,
metrology of high currents and voltages, circuitry development for gate units, con-
struction of compact pulsed power units, development of high-power silicon carbide
(SiC) devices, high-voltage Marx generators, railguns, electronic detection systems
based on e. g. NQR, magnetic induction.
Optronics and sensors: Development of robust, g-hardened components for projectiles
and missiles: electronics for munitions to increase the performance in precision and
range, for munitions appropriate for avoiding collateral damage, and for reconnais-
sance purposes.
Aerodynamics and fl ight mechanics: Determination of aerodynamic parameters, navigation and
terminal guidance with low-cost gun-hardened sensors, control by impulse thrusters - lateral
jets - plasma and micro mechanisms, development of new measurement technologies, studies
of blast effects on models of buildings in shock tubes for infrastructure protection, heat transfer
measurements on generic missile models and projectiles, countermeasures against TBM threats.
Homeland security: Area surveillance (acoustic, seismic, magnetic and optical sensors
embedded in a sensor network), IED-threat characterisation and protection studies (blast
and kinetic effects from fragments, explosively formed projectiles, etc.), development
of an active imaging system and an observation grenade, acoustic detection of snipers.
Research
Activities
ANNUAL REPORT
2009
CONTENTS
2 Foreword
4 Organisation Chart
6 Highlights 2009
8 Perforation – Protection – Detonics10 Energetic Nanomaterials: Opportunities for Enhanced
Performance
16 Aerodynamics – Flight Mechanics – Munitronics18 Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of a Guidance
Concept for Spin-Stabilised Projectiles
24 Optronics – Lasers – Sensors26 Active Polarimetric Imaging for Manufactured Object
Detection
32 Launchers – Pulsed Power Technology – Acoustics34 Hearing Protection, Communication and Perception of
the Acoustic Environment for the Dismounted Soldier
41 Business Development
42 Patents – Licences
44 Publications
2009 has been an important year for
our Institute.
Fifty years ago in 1959, the French
and the German Parliaments ratifi ed
the International Treaty which can be
considered as the certifi cate of birth
of the French-German Research Insti-
tute of Saint-Louis, thereby establish-
ing the fi rst and still unique bilateral
European research institute in the
fi elds of defence and security.
During two very busy days in June, we
therefore duly celebrated this 50th
anniversary. On the fi rst day, a scien-
tifi c symposium and a presentation of
ISL were organised for our partners as
well as for the national and local
authorities, while the second day was
dedicated to our teams and our person-
nel.
This commemoration achieved a real
success and gave us the opportunity
to present our know-how and to ex-
hibit the vitality of ISL and its active
and voluntarist preparation for the fu-
ture, not only concerning the scien-
tifi c domains but also the positioning
of our Institute in the European con-
text.
Our Institute remains a great symbol
for the French-German cooperation
and proves what can be realised in
Europe if the political will is strong
enough.
European integration owes a lot to the
momentum of the French-German
partnership. The Europe of armament
and especially the Europe of defence
and security research still has to be
structured. Of course, both our coun-
tries can rely on ISL to progress in this
sense.
For the past 5 years, our Institute has
widened the spectrum of its applica-
tions by giving greater importance to
the fi eld of global security. We are now
considered to be an important actor
in the fi eld of security research, par-
ticularly in countering the IED threat.
We are still working to consolidate our
cooperation with the different institu-
tional partners from France, Germany
and the United Kingdom.
In the fi eld of artifi cial intelligence,
ISL has this year inaugurated a labora-
tory which is dedicated to this technol-
ogy and to its various applications for
FOREWORD
3
defence and security. The fi nancial
support we received from the Conseil
général du Haut-Rhin (Regional Coun-
cil) was a fi rst in the history of ISL and
shows that we have well opened up to
the civil world.
With the great experience we have
acquired in the fi eld of energy storage,
and thanks to the research we carried
out into the subject of electrical railgun
systems in the past fi fteen years, we
have become one of the very few lab-
oratories worldwide being truly com-
petent in this fi eld. This is confi rmed
by the fact that the US Navy takes a
great interest in this kind of activities,
so that a fi rst contract could be worked
out this year.
Our opening-up to the fi elds of defence
research and global security also in-
cludes a growing participation in dif-
ferent programmes of the European
Defence Agency, the European Com-
mission and the Agence Nationale de
la Recherche.
ISL is still continuing its transforma-
tion into a modern research institute
and is more than ever fi rmly resolved
to play a signifi cant part in the con-
solidation of European defence and
security research activities. It belongs
to the fi rst institutions which have
taken part in the ERDC initiative
(European Research and Development
Centre) under the umbrella of the
European Defence Agency.
Our strategic objective of Europeanisa-
tion includes an approach aiming to
create networks of European research
facilities and laboratories in several
fi elds of research. The main interest
of this approach obviously lies in a
better coordination of European re-
search, in a more effi cient promotion
of the relevant research fi elds and in
a better structuration of the proposals
we will make within the context of
various European programmes.
Besides, the institute’s own resources
are steadily increasing, proving that
industry shows a great interest in our
research works and their excellent
level.
Several projects are presently on the
go and will be completed by the end
of next year. ISL will have a leader
function in a number of European
laboratories which will then be
launched in major fi elds like nano-
materials, materials science and pho-
tonics.
The transformation of our Institute
follows the path and the goals that
have been set by both Ministries: mod-
ernisation, opening up to civil and
security domains, and Europeanisa-
tion. We have already registered sig-
nifi cant results encouraging us to
continue in this way.
IGA A. PICQ and MinR M. WEIAND
French and German Directors
OrganisatiOn Chart
Directors
Manager of Corporate Affairs
Communication
Quality Security
Environment
Business Development
Office
Manager of Scientific Affairs
Perforation Protection Detonics
Aerodynamics Flight Mechanics
Munitronics
Optronics Lasers
Sensors
Launchers Pulsed Power Technology
Acoustics
HIGHLIGHTS 2009
January February MarchNS3E certifi ed as “Unité mixte”
After having passed the standardi-
sation and examination procedures of
the CNRS praesidium, the joint lab-
oratory of ISL and CNRS on energetic
nanomaterials has obtained the label
of “Unité mixte” as of January 1st,
2009.
ISL Scientifi c Meeting on Lasers (2.3)
Every year ISL presents the results of
its different scientifi c domains to the
scientifi c experts of the French and
German Armament Procurement Agen-
cies DGA and BWB, as well as to ex-
perts from industry and academia. In
February laser experts discussed laser-
material interaction and new laser
sources.
Kickoff Meeting ELSI
The president of the Alsatian Depart-
mental Council and ISL directors
signed the Contract to implement the
European Laboratory for artifi cial intel-
ligence ELSI at ISL.
ELSI is aimed to be a laboratory open
to regional industry to help them de-
velop a new generation of sensors
implementing artifi cial intelligence on
silicon-based chips having a very short
response time.
April May JuneMeeting of the French-German Working Group of the French Senate and German Bundesrat
Under the presidency of Günther
Oettinger and of Jean François-Poncet
the French-German interparliamentary
friendship group met at ISL to mark
the 50th anniversary of the French-
German research cooperation in Saint-
Louis and to discuss the impacts of
the fi nancial crisis in Europe.
Visit of Dr. Killion, Chief Scientist, US Army
Dr. Killion, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Research and Technology and Chief
Scientist of the US Army, visited ISL
to discuss the future cooperation with
ISL in the fi elds of acoustics, IED
detection and electromagnetic rail-
guns.
Workshop NQR 09
This workshop gathered 18 specialists
in NQR, NMR and signal processing
from France, Germany, Slovenia, Swe-
den, Russia and the Ukraine. There
is an increased interest in NMR detec-
tion of liquid explosives and in the
characterisation, quality control and
control of production processes of
chemical and pharmaceutical com-
pounds.
NQRSaint Louis
N E3
7
June - July July - August AugustCelebrations of the 50th Anniversary of ISL
50 years of French-German joint re-
search in the fi eld of Defence and
Security were the occasion to celebrate
the event with offi cials coming from
all over Europe. A scientifi c meeting
followed by the offi cial ceremony and
an open day for the staff and their
families offered the opportunity to
meet and look forward to future
research.
Soloukhin Award for the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems
“Investigation on the explosion-driven
dispersion and combustion of alu-
minium particles” presented by ISL
on the occasion of the 22nd Interna-
tional Colloquium on the Dynamics of
Explosions and Reactive Systems
(ICDERS) in Minsk (White Russia)
received the Soloukhin award for the
best experimental contribution in the
fi eld of the Dynamics of Explosions
and Reactive Systems.
Frank Carver Bursary Award for Marc Comet
Frank Carver Bursary is an interna-
tional distinction awarded each year
since 1990 by the International Pyro-
technics Society (IPS) to a young re-
searcher for relevant investigations in
the fi eld of pyrotechnics. Since its
creation Frank Carver Bursary has been
presented to pyrotechnicians working
in prominent academic structures such
as the Semenov Institute (Russia) or in
well-known companies (SME, Autoliv,
QinetiQ). In August 2009 this prize was
awarded to Marc Comet of ISL for his
eminent experimental work on ener-
getic nanomaterials.
October November DecemberOPTA Workshop on Optical Propagation in the Atmosphere
Experts from Europe and the US dis-
cussed the characterisation of optical
turbulence to understand and predict
the various characteristics of the atmo-
spheric fl uctuations and their impact
on optical propagation: experimental
characterisations such as scintillometry,
as well as modelling approaches; stud-
ies on the propagation of plane waves,
spherical waves and laser beams as well
as on optical imaging. Experimental,
theoretical and numerical methods were
presented together with applications in
the fi elds of terrestrial observation, Earth
observation and reconnaissance from
satellites, and astronomy.
2nd Workshop on Active Imaging
Principal French and German actors
such as operational staff, state rep-
resentatives and industrial experts
had the opportunity to treat topics
related especially to the optical do-
main. The special focus was on 2D
and 3D active imaging, polarimetry,
the use of several wavelengths, data
processing, elements and systems,
modelling and simulation as well as
performance assessment.
Innovative Research
Preparing the future is one of the
objectives of ISL’s innovative re-
search.
One of the most important topics in
ISL’s innovative research programme
deals with terahertz radiation and its
application to the civil and military
sectors. Two different techniques,
i.e. laser-based spectroscopy and 3D
imaging using an all-electronic sys-
tem, are very attractive for security
and safety applications such as the
detection of threats arising from
toxic, explosive or illicit substances
and hidden objects.
PERFORATION
PROTECTION
DETONICS
The 50th anniversary of ISL has
offered an opportunity of recall-
ing the major contributions
achieved by ISL in its various fi elds
of research over the last decades.
Armor, anti-armor and detonics are
a historical fi eld of research at ISL,
and the work that has been per-
formed in this domain has greatly
contributed to the international
reputation of the Institute.
In the fi eld of interior ballistics, the
current aim is to improve the safety
and the performance of fi ring sys-
tems. Another challenge consists of
maintaining a high level of expertise
on interior ballistics and propellants
for the benefi t of both the French
and German authorities, in order to
support the potential development
of new fi ring systems in the future.
This year ISL has been entrusted by
the European Defence Agency (EDA)
with a contract for the feasibility
study of a future multi-function
large-calibre gun, and leads the
project in cooperation with seven
European partners, namely Rhein-
metall, Nexter, QinetiQ, Oto Melara,
BAE Bofors, TNO and CMI.
In the fi eld of detonics and explos-
ives, the research currently con-
ducted at ISL deals with the
reduction of the shock sensitivity in
explosives and the analysis of their
thermal stability and ageing. Part of
this activity is being carried out
within the framework of an EDA con-
tract entitled “Insensitive Munitions
and Ageing – IMA”, in cooperation
with European partners.
Another very important application
of the ISL know-how in detonics is
the development of fuzing systems
functioning with laser and optical
fi bres. These systems were origi-
nally developed at ISL for space ap-
plications on a contract basis with
9
vestigations aim at improving the
protection performance of light-
weight body armors as well as the
heat sink in electronic devices.
In the specifi c fi eld of energetic na-
nomaterials, the research activity is
organised in cooperation with the
French National Centre for Scien-
tifi c Research (CNRS) within a joint
research unit created this year. Dr
Denis Spitzer, head of the joint re-
search unit and ISL scientist,
presents some highlights of this ac-
tivity in the next paper.
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
tional contexts, such as military op-
erations in urban terrain. The ISL
know-how has also turned out to be
very useful for countering new threats
such as Improvised Explosive De-
vices (IEDs). This year we have per-
formed a lot of work for the French
and German MoDs, and also for
homeland security applications to
characterise the threat of fragments,
EFPs and blast effects of IEDs and
to design protection concepts against
these threats.
Another recent activity at ISL is the
research on nanomaterials. ISL has
developed a facility combining dy-
namic compression with fl ash sinter-
ing to elaborate massive
nanostructured materials, and the
fi rst tests have been carried out this
year. Another research programme
has led to the realisation of a dia-
mond-reinforced metal-based matrix
(copper, aluminium) composite by
using powder metallurgy; these in-
the CNES in order to replace hot-wire
devices and improve the pyrotechni-
cal safety of launchers. A safe pyro-
technical composition meeting space
requirements has been developed
and experimentally validated with a
1-W laser diode, for temperatures
ranging from -160°C to + 150°C. On
the basis of the work performed for
space applications, ISL has been
able to develop an opto-pyrotechni-
cal fuzing system initiated by means
of an Nd-YAG solid laser for an active
protection system regarding military
vehicles. This opto-pyrotechnical
detonator is in compliance with
STANAGs and enables a controlled
jitter of +/- 5 μs. The opto-pyrotech-
nical technology also seems to be
very interesting for other applica-
tions, such as system propulsion or
intelligent ammunition.
In the fi eld of terminal ballistics, ISL
is working on effective armor and
anti-armor solutions for new opera-
Nanomaterials have led to break-
throughs in the domain of contempo-
rary pyrotechnics. Nanomaterials and
nanotechnology give the opportunity
of designing the material to the desired
dimensions so as to induce the most
effi cient performance. This is illus-
trated by several examples of ener-
getic nanomaterials studied and
elaborated in the last four years at ISL.
INTRODUCTION
Energetic nanocomposites containing
a metal and an oxide physically or
chemically mixed together were elab-
orated at ISL in order to study the
infl uence of the size decrease of the
different elements on reactivity prop-
erties such as the burning rates and
the ignition delay time. The decompo-
sition of such nanothermite composi-
tions was studied at ISL by using
different test facilities, including
lasers, metrology and spectroscopic
analysis.
In the fi eld of explosives, the control
of the decomposition properties of high
explosives is an important challenge
because most applications require
energetic devices with a well-defi ned
reactivity. In order to study the ability
of nanometric explosives to fulfi l these
requirements, the solution which con-
sists of trapping explosive particles in
the open porosity of an inert matrix
was investigated at the institute. For
this purpose a porous matrix (Cr2O3)
was used to nanostructure an explo-
sive, namely hexogen (RDX). The so-
lidifi cation of the energetic phases in
the porous matrix was used to prepare
explosive particles at nanoscale. The
effect of the decomposition of RDX
nanoparticles on the matrix in which
they were trapped was observed for
the first time at nanoscale. The
Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposite materials
were further mixed with aluminium
nanoparticles in order to obtain Gas-
Generating NanoThermites (GGNTs).
ENERGETIC NANOMATERIALS:OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE
11
STABILISATION OF NANOEXPLOSIVES IN A POROUS MATRIX:towards the understanding of the
explosive decomposition at
nanoscale
The secondary high explosive RDX was
infi ltrated into a porous chromium ox-
ide matrix. At microscopic scale, the
particles of the obtained composite
look like highly porous pillow lavas
(fi g. 3a). The cylindrical rods observed
on the micrographs (fi g. 3b, 3c) cor-
respond to the elementary Cr2O3 par-
ticles. Their diameter is about 16 nm.
In order to study the influence of
nanostructuring on the thermal reactiv-
ity of the explosive material, the thermal
behaviour of Cr2O3 / RDX nanocompos-
ites was investigated by DSC (fi g. 4).
The decomposition curve strongly de-
pends on the nanocomposite formula-
tion.
The impact sensitivity threshold, which
is a very important parameter to be
electron microscopy. In the mixtures
containing only nanoparticles, it is
difficult to discriminate particles
(fi g. 1a). Conversely, it clearly appears
that aluminium nanoparticles homo-
geneously cover the surface of WO3
micrometric particles (fi g. 1b). WO3 / Al
nanothermites containing only nano-
particles have an impressive reactivity.
The combustion rate can reach
7.3 m·s-1. This value is extremely high
compared to classical energetic ma-
terials (a few cm·s-1). The ignition
delay time of some WO3 / Al nano-
thermites is very low.
Tungsten trioxide-based nanothermites
could be signifi cantly desensitised at
ISL by enclosing the metallic oxide
nanoparticles in aluminium [1]. It leads
to a composite material in which WO3
nanoparticles are covered with a layer
of amorphous aluminium (fi g. 2). These
materials have a high reactivity and a
reasonable sensitivity level due to the
fact that composite particles behave
macroscopically as metallic particles.
WO3-BASED NANOTHERMITES
Tungsten trioxide (WO3)-based nano-
thermites were elaborated by physi-
cally mixing the oxide with aluminium
nanoparticles. Most of the publications
dealing with the reactivity of nano-
thermites focus on the infl uence of the
size of aluminium nanoparticles. Al-
though this approach seems attractive,
it is limited by the fact that aluminium
nanoparticles contain more and more
alumina, an inert material, as they be-
come smaller. Hence, decreasing the
aluminium particle size with the aim
of improving reactivity is not realistic
for particles smaller than fi fty nanom-
eters. Therefore, the infl uence of the
size of the oxide particles on reactiv-
ity was studied at ISL. In order to
demonstrate that the size of oxide par-
ticles plays a major role in reactivity,
different WO3 grades were used.
The microstructure of WO3 / Al nano-
thermites was observed by scanning
Fig. 1 – Nanothermites obtained by physical mixing of tungsten trioxide with alu-minium. The aluminium particle size is equal to 50 nm, tungsten trioxide particles have mean diameters of 30 nm (a) and 20000 nm (b).
Fig. 2 – Transmission electron micro-graph of a WO3/Al composite nanopar-ticle obtained by a chemical deposition process
ity of an explosive, a property that can
only be achieved with nanomaterials.
Time Resolved Cinematography (CRT)
[2, 3] was used at ISL to measure the
ignition delay time and the combus-
tion rate of Cr2O3 / RDX nanocompos-
ites. After ignition the RDX phase
burns and expands the matrix in which
it is located (fi g. 5).
The decomposition of confined
Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposites ignited
by a detonation was studied. Two dis-
tinct domains appear on the graphic
representation of the decomposition
velocity (fi g. 6).
The nanocomposites with the lowest
RDX content defl agrate. For nanocom-
posites with a high RDX content, a
detonation occurs. When the explosive
is not continuously distributed on the
oxide surface, the material defl a-
grates. The transition from defl a-
gration to detonation depends on the
continuity of the explosive phase
taken into account when handling an
energetic material in appropriate safe-
ty conditions, was extremely lowered
in the case of the least energetic
Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposites (1.5 to
10.0% RDX). This remarkable desen-
sitisation is due to the quantisation of
RDX particles located between Cr2O3
particles. When the decomposition
happens locally , it does not propagate
because explosive particles are not in
contact with one another. For an RDX
content of 14.3% to 42.0%, the
nanocomposites are less sensitive to
impact than pure RDX, because the
explosive layer is not continuously dis-
tributed on the Cr2O3 surface, which
limits the propagation of the decom-
position. The nanocomposites contain-
ing up to 40% RDX can be regarded
as very insensitive to friction insofar
as the highest friction stress tested
(360 N) does not induce any pyrotech-
nical reaction. These results clearly
demonstrate that nanostructuring an
explosive in a porous host matrix gives
the opportunity of tuning the sensitiv-
Fig. 3 – Scanning electron microscopy of the oxide : macroporosity (a) and mesoporosity formed by elementary Cr2O3 particles (b). Transmission electron microscopy of CR2O3 elementary rods (c)
13
dence of the decomposition of an
explosive at nanoscale was imaged
here for the fi rst time.
GAS-GENERATING NANOTHERMITES
Thermites are energetic materials
which do not release gaseous species
during decomposition. However, ex-
plosives can be infi ltrated into ther-
mites to give them blasting properties.
The idea developed at ISL was to mix
the aforementioned Cr2O3 / RDX mate-
rials with aluminium nanoparticles to
obtain gas-generating nanothermites
(or GGNTs). In the case of Cr2O3-based
GGNTs, the decomposition of RDX in-
duces the expansion and the fragmen-
tation of the oxide matrix. The
resulting Cr2O3 nanoparticles, which
are preheated by the combustion of
the explosive, react violently on contact
with aluminium nanoparticles. The
combustion of GGNTs involves a syn-
ergy mechanism in which the decom-
within the matrix. Moreover, it is pos-
sible to precisely adjust the detonation
rate of the nanocomposites studied
by means of their RDX content.
The decomposition mechanism of
Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposites was in-
vestigated by thermally driven atom-
ic force microscopy [4]. A few
nanoparticles were imaged at 25°C
in order to visualise their original ap-
pearance (fi g. 7a). The sample was
then heated stepwise. At 100°C, de-
composition phenomena could be
noticed (fi g. 7b). These events were
characterised by perturbation lines
coming from the smallest particles
which are the most sensitive to ther-
mal stress. The further heating up to
130°C enhanced the decomposition
of the nanocomposite material
(fi g. 7c). After being heated up to
250°C, the material was cooled down
to room temperature (28°C). It ex-
hibited a strong spatial expansion
which was about twice as big as the
initial structure (fi g. 7d). The inci-
position of RDX nanoparticles
fragmentates the Cr2O3 matrix and
primes the thermite reaction. The de-
composition of miscellaneous GGNT
compositions was studied in a closed
vessel. The pressure released (fi g. 8)
by the combustion of a GGNT can be
precisely adjusted by means of the
RDX content of the nanocomposite.
Depending on its formulation, a GGNT
can provide a pressure ranging from a
few bar to three thousand bar. Differ-
ent applications like propulsion or
projectile guidance are currently in-
vestigated fundamentally or in coop-
eration with industry.
CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK
The advanced research conducted at
ISL in the fi eld of energetic nanoma-
terials has already demonstrated the
enhanced performance of such ma-
terials compared to micron-sized ones.
Fig. 5 – Macroscopic fractal structures obtained by combustion of Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposites
Fig. 4 – DSC curves of Cr2O3 / RDX
heat
flow
(exo
up)
[a.u
.]
temperature [°C]50 100 150 200 250 300
6.2 RDX wt%14.3 RDX wt%25 RDX wt%40 RDX wt%60 RDX wt%80 RDX wt%95 RDX wt%
• priming devices with a high energetic
output and a relative insensitivity to
thermal and mechanical stress,
• enhancement of the power and den-
sity of military explosives,
• evaluation of thermobaric charges
insofar as nanothermites can be used
to produce thermal explosions,
• development of a new generation of
powders and propellants, whose
properties can be adapted to indus-
trial needs,
• separation of the different stages in
rockets insofar as the decomposition
rates of gas-generating nano-
thermites can be controlled,
• satellite guidance: due to their den-
sities, nanothermites can provide a
high momentum,
• civilian applications: energetic com-
positions for security devices (air-
bags, seat belt pretensioners).
The contribution of energetic nanoma-
terials to pyrotechnics in future is
obvious. Nanostructuring is the best
The use of nanoparticles in the ther-
mite formulation improves the repro-
ducibility of their decomposition and
signifi cantly increases their combus-
tion rates. The detonation tests carried
out on the energetic oxide/RDX nano-
composites elaborated at ISL have
shown that the transition from defl agra-
tion to detonation is dependent on the
continuity of the explosive phase in
the oxide matrix and thus can be pre-
cisely tuned, a property which is not
possible with micron-sized particles.
The gas-generating nanothermites
obtained by mixing nanometric alu-
minium with the oxide/RDX nanocom-
posite prepare the way for systems with
a very well defi ned response. The re-
sults reported herein open up new
horizons for the pyrotechnical science
and its industrial applications. The
stabilisation of high explosives by po-
rous materials allows their reactivity
to be controlled. Among the most
promising prospects of use the
following applications can be quoted:
Fig. 6 – Decomposition velocity of Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposites, depending on their RDX content
Fig. 7 – Thermally driven atomic force micro-scopy of a Cr2O3 / RDX nanocomposite
deco
mpo
sitio
n ve
loci
ty [m
.s-1
]
RDX content [wt%]0
0
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1000
20 3010 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
experimental datadeflagrationdetonation
a
c
b
d
15
way of improving the energetic per-
formance of reactive formulations and
of defi ning their properties according
to their fi nal utilisation or to the needs
of end users. There is no doubt that
this new generation of materials should
be fruitfully integrated into defence
and spatial devices and even into
other civilian applications.
REFERENCES
[1] COMET M., SPITZER D.
Patent FR 000002905882A1
[2] GRANIER J.-J., PANTOYA M.-L.
Combustion and Flame, 138,
pp. 373-383, 2004
[3] COMET M., SPITZER D.
33rd International Pyrotechnics Seminar,
Fort Collins/CO, USA, July 16-21, 2006,
pp. 93-102
[4] SPITZER D.
Imaging and Microscopy, 11, 2, 2009
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
Fig. 8 – Evolution of the pressure released by the combus-tion of GGNTs in a closed vessel, depending on the RDX content of the oxide /RDX nanocomposite
pres
sure
[bar
]
time [s]0.0
0
200
300
400
500
700
600
100
0.1 0.2
430 bar
GGNT 40% RDX
GGNT 25% RDX
GGNT 14% RDX
139 bar
23 bar
AERODYNAMICS FLIGHT MECHANICS MUNITRONICS
MISSION AND ORGANISATION
The division gives priority to the
studies of precision-guided
gun-launched ammunition for
ground-to-ground (enhanced preci-
sion for existing ammunition, new
concepts for improved range and
precision, terminally guided ammu-
nition for metric precision, etc.) or
ground-to-air (airborne threats in-
cluding mortars, rockets and bal-
listic projectiles) applications. Due
to the specifi city of its facilities and
skills, the division is also involved
in research on missiles, gun-
launched MAVs and even space ap-
plications. Skills, test facilities (wind
tunnel, shock tube and instrument-
ed fl ight tests) and simulation tools
make it possible to cover the follow-
ing needs:
• studying and evaluating guided
ammunition concepts and specify-
ing the requirements in terms of
performance for navigation and
guidance components and for con-
trol devices;
• studying and evaluating low-cost
navigation units containing COTS
sensors as well as guidance and
control solutions adapted to the
various applications;
• studying and evaluating aerody-
namic architectures and control
devices;
• numerical and experimental stud-
ies of the heat transfer and of the
fl ows around projectiles and mis-
siles.
ORGANISATION
The skills and facilities of the divi-
sion are divided into the following
basic complementary domains:
• the telemetry and sensor integra-tion domain where telemetry sys-
tems, fl ight recorders and sensors
are designed, integrated and gun-
hardened;
• the exterior ballistics domain
where we study the behaviour and
determine the aerodynamic coef-
fi cients of a wide range of free-
fl ight models;
17
control devices such as plasma dis-
charge and microjets also represent
topics of interest for the French and
German authorities and industry. In
this field, the cooperation with
ONERA, DLR, FOI, MBDA/F and
MBDA/GE (within the framework of
the GARTEUR Action Group “Lat-
eral jet interaction at supersonic
speed” chaired by ISL) must be par-
ticularly pointed out.
It must also be emphasized that the
Aerodynamics, Flight Mechanics and
Munitronics division has exceeded
its objectives in terms of booking of
orders of third contracts.
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
development of low-cost navigation
units adapted to the various applica-
tions. But the distortions of measure-
ments due to the surrounding
materials, other electronic compo-
nents and the spin of projectiles have
to be completely overcome to obtain
accurate results. The year 2009 has
allowed us to make real progress in
this fi eld. ISL also seeks various
solutions for the initialisation of such
navigation units to meet the require-
ments regarding precision.
Furthermore, research activities are
being conducted on transceivers for
a bidirectional communication with
a projectile in order to transmit con-
trol or target data, on telemetry an-
tennas with special geometries and
radiation patterns as well as on three-
dimensional conformal antenna ar-
rays so as to optimise transmission
and discretion.
The aerothermodynamics of missiles
and re-entry vehicles at high Mach
numbers and altitudes as well as the
steering by lateral jets and other
• the aerodynamics domain where
aerodynamic architectures of fl ying
vehicles and control device con-
cepts are designed and evaluated;
• the guidance, navigation and con-trol domain where low-cost naviga-
tion units as well as innovative
guidance and control solutions are
studied.
MAIN ACTIVITIES IN 2009
In the fi eld of precision-guided gun-
launched ammunition for ground-to-
ground or ground-to-air applications,
there is a great demand both from
the French and German authorities
for ISL’s expertise work and studies
in cooperation with industry.
Generic tools for the simulation of
guidance and control solutions have
been developed to meet these re-
quirements and to conduct studies
of innovative concepts.
The use of magnetometers is prom-
ising for seeking solutions for the
INTRODUCTION
In order to suppress, or at least reduce
collateral damage, existing and future
gun-launched artillery shells need to
possess trajectory correction and ter-
minal guidance capabilities. When one
takes into account the low-cost require-
ments, high initial accelerations (due
to cannon launch) and high spin rates
(for spin-stabilised projectiles), the
design of new ammunition represents
a very challenging task. One way of
overcoming the inherent diffi culties
related to high spin rates is to con-
sider dual-spin stabilised projectiles,
i.e. projectiles with two parts and dif-
ferent axial rotational velocities.
The French-German research institute
of Saint-Louis (ISL) is currently working
in collaboration with the German Diehl
DBD Company on the development of
a new dual-spin stabilised projectile
concept. The DBD concept features a
roll-decoupled guidance module inte-
grated in the fuze housing which also
allows a retrofi t to existing conven-
tional projectiles (fi g. 1). The decou-
pling is performed by a generator used
for the power supply and roll control of
the guidance module as well. For the
damping of the roll motion a pair of
fi xed canards is used while the guid-
ance commands are executed by a pair
of movable canards driven by a single-
axis control actuation device. The tra-
jectory deviation caused by imperfect
launch and weather conditions is com-
pensated for via a GPS-based Guid-
ance, Navigation and Control system.
WIND-TUNNEL TESTS
In order to get a reliable aerodynamic
data base for concept assessment and
further design work, wind-tunnel tests
were conducted in different transonic
and supersonic wind tunnels for a Mach
number ranging from 0.8 to 3.0 [1].
For these tests, different types of wind-
tunnel models were manufactured:
• models of the guidance fuze (without
canards) at a scale of 4:5,
• models of the guidance fuze (with
canards) at a scale of 4:5,
• models of the projectile body alone
(with a guidance fuze but without
canards) at a scale of 1:4,
EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF A GUIDANCE CONCEPT FOR SPIN-STABILISED PROJECTILES
19
pitching moment coeffi cients at a
Mach number of 2. A close agreement
is found. Note that fi gure 7 leads to
pitching moment derivatives Cm > 0
(i.e. statically unstable), which is
typical of spin-stabilised rounds.
FLIGHT DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS
By means of 6- and 7DoF (Degrees of
Freedom) simulation programmes,
preliminary fl ight dynamics simulations
were performed. The objective of these
simulations was to give a fi rst insight
into the fl ight dynamics aspects of
these controlled spin-stabilised pro-
jectiles. The canard defl ections were
not determined by closed-loop struc-
tures but were given a priori: hence,
these simulations can be considered
to be open-loop simulations [1].
As an illustration, let us consider the
case of fi gure 8 where the forces on
the canards are expected to create lat-
eral deviations of the projectile to the
right side (when one looks from the
rear, in the fl ight direction).
moments on the projectile centre of
gravity, which allows a large trajectory
deviation.
MISSILE CODE
The MISSILE code, developed by
ONERA in France, is a semi-empirical
code for the prediction of the aerody-
namic coeffi cients of weapons such
as missiles or projectiles. It uses em-
pirical data bases, simple theories
(slender-body theory, linear theory,
etc.) and the equivalent angle of attack
method. The MISSILE code is quite
robust in terms of geometries (fi g. 6)
and fl ight conditions: Mach numbers
can vary from 0 to 10, angles of attack
from 0 to 90 degrees, control defl ec-
tions from -30 up to 30 degrees and
arbitrary roll angles can be considered.
The outputs provided by the code in-
clude static and damping aerody-
namic coeffi cients.
Figure 7 shows a typical comparison
between the wind-tunnel measure-
ments and the results of the MISSILE
code concerning normal force and
• models of the complete projectile
(with a body, a guidance fuze and
canards) at a scale of 1:4.
The complete projectile models are
equipped with an inner motor in order
to simulate the spin stabilisation of
the projectile in the wind tunnel
(fi g. 2). The wind-tunnel models are
equipped with a 6-component aerody-
namic balance to measure all forces
and moments on the models. The
aerodynamic derivatives are taken from
these data.
In fi gure 3 a shadowgraph of the fl ow
around the guidance fuze is shown.
The bow shock in front of the model
as well as the recompression shock
after the expansion wave around the
nose can clearly be seen. In particular,
the shock/shock interaction of these
two shocks with the shock in front of
the canard wing leads to a signifi cant
increase in the drag coeffi cient at high
Mach numbers (fi g. 4).
In contrast to the undesirable increase
in the drag coeffi cient, the canard
wings can produce suffi ciently large
lift forces (fi g. 5) and pitching/yawing
Fig. 1 – DBD concept of a 155-mm dual-spin stabilised projectile with a guidance fuze
Fig. 2 – Projectile model in the supersonic wind tunnel of ISL
itative analysis of stability immedi-
ately shows that for dual-spin stabilised
projectiles, the stability is reduced due
to two factors:
• fi rstly, the addition of canards will
increase the already positive pitch-
ing/yawing moment coeffi cient, re-
sulting in an increased static
instability;
• secondly, the reduced angular mo-
mentum of the forward part (due to
the desired reduced spin rate) will
reduce the gyroscopic stabilising
effect.
Hence, a specifi c stability study was
conducted [2]. One of its main results
was to highlight new expressions for
the gyroscopic and dynamic stability
parameters and conditions. The gyro-
scopic stability coeffi cient is found to
be defi ned in a similar way to the co-
effi cient of conventional ballistic spin-
stabilised projectiles:
2
2Iyy SDV 2 Cm + CNScS
xcD
DS
T
pAIxx + pFIxxA F
Sg =
(1)
Figure 9 shows the polar diagram ob-
tained in these fl ight conditions. One
important point must be underlined
here. Although the canard forces are
directed to the right side in fi gure 8
(when one looks in the fl ight direction),
the projectile can be seen to be ori-
ented to the left side, in the opposite
direction. This surprising but typical
result can easily be explained by tak-
ing into account the gyroscopic effects
and trim conditions for spin-stabilised
rounds. Further simulations show that
even with open-loop control, lateral
deviations of a few hundreds of meters
can be achieved, proving the potential
of this concept.
STABILITY OF THE BAL-LISTIC FLIGHT STAGE
Like most guided projectile concepts,
the fi rst fl ight stage is a ballistic one
which roughly extends from launch to
apogee. The main issue during this
ballistic fl ight stage is to ensure a
stable fl ight, i.e. fl ight conditions with
small incidence and side-slip angles
(typically less than 10°-15°). A qual-
Fig. 3 – Shadowgraph of the guidance fuze model at Mach number 2
Fig. 4 – Drag coeffi cients for two movable canard wings for different pitch angles (AoA) at Mach number 2
0.00
0.01
0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.08
-15.00 -10.00 -5.00 0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00
[°]
AoA: 20°AoA: 15°AoA: 10°AoA: 5°AoA: 0°
21
Sg > 1DS
(4)
This simple analytic relation can be
used, in a preliminary design phase,
to properly size the canard parameters
(location, size and shape) and the fuze
parameters (roll rate and inertia mo-
ment) in order to ensure a stable bal-
listic fl ight.
GUIDED FLIGHT STAGES
A guided projectile (like a missile)
typically experiences three fl ight stag-
es: an initial ballistic stage (roughly
from launch to apogee, see previous
section), a mid-course stage (whose
goal is to send the weapon inside a
predefi ned volume above the target)
and the fi nal terminal phase, its objec-
tive being to hit the target. For the
guided fl ight stages (mid-course and
terminal) the use of closed-loop feed-
back guidance and control schemes
is necessary. A vast bibliography is
available on missile and aircraft con-
trol, with methods spanning LTI (Lin-
ear Time-Invariant), advanced LPV
This gyroscopic stability coeffi cient
depends on many parameters (sub-
scripts A for the projectile aft part, F
for the forward (fuze) part and T for
total, i.e. the complete projectile):
• axial body rates pA and pF,
• inertia moments IyyT, Ixx
A and IxxF,
• fl ight altitude (air density ) and
velocity (V),
• projectile size (surface S, calibre D)
and aerodynamics (pitch/yaw mo-
ment slope coeffi cient Cm),
• canard geometry (surface Sc, location
xc) and aerodynamics (normal force
slope coeffi cient CN).
The gyroscopic stability condition is
found to be:
C(Sg 1) > 0DS (2)
with
mD2 ScS D
xcC = Cm + CNIyyT
SD2m
(3)
By considering that xc 0 (canards
in front of the projectile centre of grav-
ity), the gyroscopic stability condition
is simply expressed as:
(Linear Parameter Varying), adaptive,
robust-optimal, predictive and even
pure nonlinear control. However, due
to the low-cost requirements, gun-
hardening and high spin rates, there
remains a lot to be done in the fi eld
of control of spin-stabilised projec-
tiles. The development of adapted
control schemes is in progress
(fi g. 10).
In order to properly design the control
schemes for mid-course and terminal
phases, an accurate dynamic model
of the considered projectile is
necessary. Current classical approach-
es lead to rather simplistic mathemat-
ical models, based on restrictive
assumptions on the system state be-
haviour, subsequently used for stability
analysis, trajectory prediction and con-
trol. These models are not always thor-
ough enough to provide an accurate
evaluation of the system behaviour and
may neglect some important dynamic
aspects crucial to the guidance and
control tasks. In recent works [3, 4],
the 6DoF projectile dynamics was
modelled by using a tensor-like formu-
lation and appropriate aerodynamic
Fig. 5 – Lift coeffi cients of the guidance fuze for different pitch angles (AoA) at Mach number 2
Fig. 6 – Missile or projectile geometries allowed by the MISSILE code (ONERA)
-0.15
-0.10
-0.05
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
-15.00 -10.00 -5.00 0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00
[°]
AoA: 20°AoA: 15°AoA: 10°AoA: 5°AoA: 0°
ogive
air intakewing
flare (afterbody)
tailplane
canard body
tail
booster
Fig. 7 – Typical comparison between the wind-tunnel measurements and results of the MISSILE code
Fig. 10 – Closed-loop control scheme (DBD)
projectile&
2D guidance module
single axisCAS
decouplinggenerator
guidance navigation &
observer
IMU (MEMS)
GPS
magnetometer
ac X
X.
Actuators
roll
controller
pitch, yaw
Sensors
Algorithms
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15angle of attack [°]
norm
al fo
rce
coef
ficie
nt C
N
wind tunnelMISSILE code
-4
-3
-1
-2
0
1
3
2
4
-15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15angle of attack [°]
pitc
hing
mom
ent c
oeffi
cien
t Cm
wind tunnelMISSILE code
23
functions and then systematically lin-
earised around a given trajectory. The
resulting linear, time-varying state
space system matrices were computed,
and their components thoroughly val-
idated through comparisons with nu-
merical linearisation techniques. These
accurate dynamic models will be used
to develop adapted control schemes
for different kinds of spin-stabilised
concepts, including dual-spin sta-
bilised ones.
CONCLUSION
The ISL study has clearly shown that
a large trajectory deviation should be
obtained with the concept proposed
by the Diehl DBD Company. However,
a lot of work remains to be done in
order to provide an operational projec-
tile: development of robust closed-loop
schemes, integration of the sensors in
the fuze, fl ight tests, etc.
REFERENCES
[1] WERNERT P., LEOPOLD F., BIDINO D.,
JUNCKER J., LEHMANN L., BÄR K.,
REINDLER A.
Wind Tunnel Tests and Open-Loop
Trajectory Simulations for a 155 mm
Canard Guided Spin-Stabilized Projectile
AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics
Conference and Exhibit, 18-21 August
2008, Honolulu, Hawaii
[2] WERNERT P.
Stability Analysis for Canard Guided
Dual-Spin Stabilized Projectiles
AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics
Conference and Exhibit, 10-13 August
2009, Chicago, US
[3] THEODOULIS S., MOREL Y., WERNERT P.
Trajectory-Based Accurate Linearization
of the 155 mm Spin-Stabilized Projectile
Dynamics
AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics
Conference and Exhibit, 10-13 August
2009, Chicago, US
[4] THEODOULIS S., MOREL Y., WERNERT P.
Modelling and Stability Analysis of the
155 mm Fin-Stabilized Projectile
Dynamics
Int. J. of Modelling, Identifi cation and
Control, to be published
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
Fig. 8 – Forces and defl ection angles for canards 1 and 3 oriented vertically (when one looks from the rear, in the fl ight direction)
Fig. 9 – Polar diagram (in °) for the projectile with canard defl ections of Fig. 8
canard 1
canard 2
canard 3
canard 4
FF1
FF3
yBFP
xN
zBFP
with canardswithout canards
90 2
1.5
1
0.5
270
120
240 300
150 30
210 330
180 0
OPTRONICS
LASERS
SENSORS
In 2009 the demand for research
in the military and civil security
domains has enormously in-
creased. Following this trend, efforts
have focused on the use of the laser
technology as a means of protection
or observation. The portfolio of ISL
includes a variety of technologies
which have shown in the course of
the last year that they are adequate
to satisfy this demand.
The security of military camps and
their protection is an ambitious mis-
sion and requires acoustic and opti-
cal sensors as well as effectors. ISL
has conducted research work in both
disciplines.
The number of sensors necessary for
performing camp protection is huge.
To achieve a fail-safe sensor inter-
connection, the need for a self-con-
fi guration capability is obvious. But
the self-confi guration of a huge sen-
sor network with 100 or more plat-
forms is demanding and the routing
of data from many sensors to the
control centre through this network
necessitates specialised and fast
routing algorithms. The precondition
for the development of such algo-
rithms consists of modelling and
simulating the network as well as
testing newly developed routing al-
gorithms. ISL has started to investi-
gate this type of problem within the
framework of an EDA (European De-
fence Agency) consortium by simu-
lating, designing and assembling
fl exible sensor platforms.
In future the effector against a RAM
(Rocket, Artillery, Mortar) threat
could be a laser. ISL belongs to an
EDA consortium which investigates
the technologies necessary for the
realisation of such a system. ISL’s
well-established experience in cal-
culating the laser effects on metal
surfaces, for example, helps dimen-
sion the effector.
Another important application for
use in military camps is range-gating
with laser illumination. With such a
system it is possible to observe the
surroundings of a camp even in bad
weather conditions such as rain, fog
or sand storms. ISL has improved
25
(Framework Programme 7). The sec-
ond PhD student from the University
of Mulhouse is expected to develop
a fast algorithm for image processing
on moving platforms. This topic is of
great importance for the improvement
of our change detection system.
Recent cooperation does not only
include institutions and companies
in Europe. In 2009 we welcomed
back a scientist who did some re-
search work for one year with an
international working group in a
South African laser laboratory (CSIR).
During that year he could extend his
knowledge of solid-state fi bre lasers
and he constructed a high-power
Q-switched Ho:YAG laser. Another
exchange with the University Lavalle
of Quebec started in mid-2009,
thanks to which an ISL engineer is
having the opportunity to investigate
the effects of femtosecond pulses
on several materials.
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
lenses containing a suspension of
nanomaterials in a solvent. This work
was conducted in the context of a
conclusive PhD thesis in cooperation
with the University of Strasbourg and
the CNRS.
A serious threat to military and
civil airplanes is represented by man-
portable air defence missiles. The
use of lasers could also be effective
against such a danger. A group of
ISL scientists investigates new laser
architectures for the wavelengths
and pulse repetition rates to which
these missiles are susceptible. As a
result, a new transportable laser sys-
tem has been developed and is being
tested by the DGA.
In 2009 the cooperation with French
and German universities has intensi-
fi ed. Two new PhD students have
started their research work at ISL. A
new 6.45 μm laser for surgical ap-
plications is to be developed in co-
operation with the University of
Stuttgart. This work is performed
within an international working group
funded by the European Union
the system in such a way that it is
possible to generate a three-dimen-
sional picture of the scene by means
of only two laser pulses. Using these
range-gated active imaging systems
is of great interest to the French and
German military forces and police,
and there are negotiations under way
with several fi rms with the objective
of granting them a licence to produce
these systems.
A big diffi culty relating to laser ap-
plications, especially in observation
scenarios, is the nominal ocular haz-
ard distance. ISL has thoroughly
investigated the use of eye-safe
lasers based on erbium-doped YAG-
crystals generating laser radiation at
1.6 μm. At this wavelength the eye
is less sensitive to laser irradiation
by a factor of 1000 than at the
usual wavelength around 1 μm.
But the human eye is not the only
one to be sensitive to laser irradi-
ation. Optical sensors and lenses can
be destroyed by intense laser irra-
diation. ISL has developed a method
of protecting them by means of small
Sensor (e.g. acoustic, optical, etc.)
platform for huge networks
Experimental set-up of a thulium-silica fi bre laser
for the determination of the laser damage threshold at 2 μm
ABSTRACT
Most imaging systems are only sensi-
tive to the intensity collected by each
pixel of a sensor array. But the light
refl ected by a scene has another prop-
erty which can be used to enhance the
level of information in an image: po-
larisation. The fusion of the polarime-
tric and intensity images of a scene
can provide more information about
the nature of the observed objects.
Polarimetric imaging can also improve
the performance of an active imaging
system in highly diffuse media, such
as dense fog or under water.
INTRODUCTION
Active imaging is a night-vision tech-
nique which signifi cantly improves the
performance of infrared or light-inten-
sifi cation technologies. This technol-
ogy uses an intensifi ed image sensor
array and its own illumination source.
The synchronisation of the pulsed il-
lumination with the sensor gate allows
the so-called gated-viewing (or range-
gating, laser ranging, etc.) which
avoids the sensor saturation due to the
backscattered light when particles are
present in the atmosphere. Active im-
aging is a familiar technique com-
monly in use for surveillance or
security applications, i.e. vision
through smoke (or other obstacles like
camoufl age nettings), area surveil-
lance, coast guarding and helicopter-
based observation systems [1]. With
the recent increase in the laser diode
power and the use of the new genera-
tion of image intensifi ers, range-gated
active imaging systems are becoming
more and more effi cient. Night vision
at ranges above 10 km can easily be
reached and several systems are used
all over the world for security or de-
fence applications [2].
Furthermore, range-gated active imag-
ing is not only capable of producing
intensity images, but it can also pro-
duce polarimetric imaging. As the il-
luminated beam can be linearly or
circularly polarised, it is possible, by
analysing the polarisation states of the
refl ected light, to produce a linear or
a circular polarisation degree image
of the scene.
ACTIVE POLARIMETRIC IMAGING FOR MANUFACTURED OBJECT DETECTION
27
for the vertically polarised light, (1,0,-
1,0) for the -45° polarised light, etc.
When the light of a well-defi ned po-
larised illuminator is refl ected by dif-
ferent objects in the scene, the
intensity and polarisation of the re-
fl ected light are linearly related to
those of the incident light by
S’ = M S (2)
Here, the transformation matrix M is
the four-by-four Mueller matrix. One
can see that in order to determine the
sixteen Mueller coeffi cients on each
pixel of a scene, it is necessary to
perform sixteen different measure-
ments. To simplify these experiments,
it is also possible to determine the
polarisation degree Dp of each pixel of
an image by using the following equa-
tion
I H + I
VI
H - I V
S0
S1Dp ==
(3)
or in a more general way, by writing:
222
S0
S1 + S2 + S3Dp =
(4)
accepted and widely used one is the
four Stokes parameter formalism, rep-
resenting the propagation of an electro-
magnetic wave, together with the
so-called Mueller matrix which is used
to characterise the refl ection properties
of the different objects in the scene.
In this formalism, the polarised light
can be described in a four-component
column vector (S0, S1, S2, S3) as:
-+
I R - I
L
I +45° - I
-45°
I H - I
V
I H + I
V
ExEysinExEycos
EyEx
EyEx
S3
S2
S1
S0
S =22
22
22
(1)
where the brackets indicate the time
average and the phase angle between
the mutually perpendicular electrical
fi eld amplitudes Ex and Ey. Therefore,
S0 stands for the total intensity, S1
indicates, depending on its sign, the
horizontal or vertical polarisation, S2
represents the +45° or -45° polarisa-
tion and S3 the right- or left-circular
polarisation. In this description, the
Stokes vector is equal to (1,0,0,0) for
the unpolarised light, (1,1,0,0) for the
horizontally polarised light, (1,-1,0,0)
PRINCIPLES OF ACTIVE POLARIMETRIC IMAGING
The principles of gated-viewing have
been widely exposed in several publi-
cations. As depicted in fi gure 1, the
choice of the delay between the laser
pulse and the sensor gate, i.e. the time
of fl ight, allows the selection of the
observation range. The pulse duration
enables the width of the observed fi eld
to be selected. As a matter of fact,
gated-viewing systems are capable of
viewing through obstacles, like cam-
oufl age nettings, vegetation, fog or
smoke, etc.
A lot of variants of this technique can
lead to very interesting information
about the nature of the scene. The
third dimension can be evaluated
through tomography or the two-pulse
technique [3-5] and the nature of the
material present in the scene can be
revealed through active polarimetric
imaging [6].
There are many representations of the
polarisation properties of optical scenes
in the literature. The most generally
Fig. 1 – Illustration of the laser pulse duration on the illumi-nated width (left-hand and upper right-hand images).Effect of the delay on the range (upper and lower right-hand images). Scene at a distance of 2 km
to achieve active polarimetric imaging.
On the left, fi gure 2 shows our touch-
screen controlled system capable of
performing polarimetric active imaging
at 808 nm, and on the right, our eye-
safe active polarimetric imaging sys-
tem operating at 1.57 m.
In both cases, the laser illuminator
produces a linear polarised illumina-
tion with a 4:3 top-hat profi le. By
means of a /4 plate, it is possible to
choose a linear or a circular polarisa-
tion for the illumination beam. With
an optimised optical set-up, the po-
larisation of the illuminator can be
greater than 96%. With regard to the
sensor, the use of a liquid-crystal tune-
able polarisation element can provide
a computer-controlled real-time po-
larimetric analysis of the scene image.
When the scene is illuminated by a
well-known linear- or circular-polarised
light, the analysis of the scene image
in the two orthogonal polarisation
states, parallel and perpendicular to
the illumination, leads to the recording
of the two images I// and I. The in-
tensity image can then be calculated
by I = I// + I, while the polarisation
When the polarised light is refl ected
by an object with the same polarisation
state, Dp will be equal to 1. If the
refl ected light is depolarised, Dp will
be equal to 0. A partially polarised
reflected light leads to values of
0 < Dp < 1. It is well known that a
manufactured surface will maintain
the incident polarisation and that a
natural background like vegetation will
depolarise the incident light. Based
on this fact, active polarimetric imag-
ing is a good method of preprocessing
an image during the acquisition step.
The image processing algorithms are
then more effi cient to detect and lo-
calise a threat, due to the enhance-
ment of the object/background
contrast.
ACTIVE RANGE-GATED SYSTEMS FOR POLARI-METRIC IMAGING
ISL has developed a number of active
imaging systems working at illumina-
tion wavelengths ranging from the UV
to the NIR (266 nm to 1.6 m). Two
of these systems have been retrofi tted
Fig. 2 – Range-gated active polarimetric imaging systems operating at the wavelength of 808 nm (left-hand image) and 1.57 m (right-hand image)
Fig. 3 – Intensity and degree of polarisation at two wave-lengths: 808 nm and 1.57 m
visible
808 nm
1.5 m
intensity image polarimetric image
29
visible in the intensity image. Details
of the truck wheel, of the window or
of the number on the door become
visible on the polarimetric images at
both wavelengths.
A second experiment was conducted
in collaboration with RDDC Valcartier
on the Valcartier proving ground. As
an example, fi gure 4 shows the im-
ages of different civilian vehicles
against a vegetation background.
In this set of images, it is obvious that
polarimetric images can provide ad-
ditional information. For example, the
second vehicle, the paint of which
shows a very low reflectance at
808 nm, turns out to be clearly visible
on the polarimetric images. It can also
be observed that the contrast of the
manufactured objects vs background
is higher on the polarimetric images.
In particular, the circular polarimetric
image gives excellent results. Because
of the high level of depolarisation pro-
duced by the natural objects, the back-
ground disappears, which leads to the
enhancement of the signal-to-noise
ratio of the object vs background. A
degree image is calculated by
=I + II - I
Dp , equivalent to eq. 3.
Experiments were carried out in coop-
eration with RDDC Valcartier and the
French Army on the ISL proving ground.
As an example, fi gure 3 shows the im-
age of a VBL military vehicle observed
at the two wavelengths, 808 nm and
1.57 m. The colour image is displayed
for comparison. On the left, the inten-
sity refl ectance images are shown, on
the right, the polarimetric images.
The intensity images at both wave-
lengths are quite equivalent. The con-
trast of the different paint colours is
more or less the same. On the polari-
metric images, it can be observed that
the contrast is inverted for the 808 nm
wavelength and remains the same for
the 1.57 m wavelength. This prop-
erty can be of great interest for dif-
ferentiating the nature of different
objects and is known in the literature
as the spectral derivative of the po-
larisation degree [7]. It can also be
noticed that the polarimetric image
highlights some details which are not
last example (fi g. 5) shows how high-
voltage cables can easily be detected
by using the polarisation degree at a
range of about 2 km.
VISIBILITY ENHANCE-MENT IN FOGGY CON-DITIONS
ISL has carried out a lot of different
experiments to measure the gain in
visibility given by the range-gated ac-
tive imaging technique. To sum up the
results in the different situations where
the visibility was rather poor, one can
say that the use of range-gated active
imaging can increase the visibility dis-
tance by a factor of 3 to 4 in com-
parison with other non-gated imaging
systems. Figure 6 shows the compar-
ison between gated and non-gated
active imaging through smoke: placing
the gate behind the smoke can drasti-
cally increase the image quality.
To allow a quantitative measurement
of the performance in poor weather
conditions, ISL carried out some meas-
urements in cooperation with the
Fig. 4 – Results at 808 nm – Visible, intensity, linear and circular polarimetric images
Laboratoire Central des Ponts &
Chaussées. The fog tunnel of the Lab-
oratoire Régional des Ponts &
Chaussées of Clermont-Ferrand was
used [8]. In this facility, it is possible
to generate a fog with a different den-
sity of particles, i.e. with different
meteorological visibilities. In fi gure 7,
it can be noted that a road sign placed
30 m from the system remains detect-
able in very hard fog conditions (12 m
of visibility), whereas classical systems
like IR band II or band III imagers lose
their effi ciency.
The use of polarimetric analysis can
improve the image quality in foggy
conditions. It can be observed that it
becomes diffi cult to recognize a road
sign placed at a distance of 30 m when
the meteorological visibility decreases
below 12 m. The results shown in fi g-
ure 8 demonstrate that the use of the
polarisation degree allows the target
to be seen in a higher-density fog,
compared with the classical range-
gated imaging.
An analysis of the road sign versus
background contrast proves that po-
larimetric imaging gives better results
than intensity imaging in very high
density fog conditions (i.e. between 8
and 11 m). Thus, when the meteoro-
logical visibility increases, the use of
the normal intensity image becomes
more effi cient.
CONCLUSION
Range-gated active imaging is a
powerful method of increasing the
quality of the images when particles
are present along the optical path. By
temporal (or time-of-fl ight) selection
of the photons at a specifi c range, one
can avoid the effect of backscattering
of the light due to the particles. This
method can be improved by using po-
larimetric analysis. Experiments have
shown that the polarisation degree can
provide information about the nature
of the objects in a scene and that it
can improve the visibility of objects in
foggy conditions. Circular polarimetric
imaging seems to have a good potential
for the image contrast enhancement
and will soon be tested in a submarine
range-gated active imaging system.
Fig. 6 – Comparison between the gated and non-gated active imaging technique for vision through smoke
Fig. 5 – Results at a distance of 2 km – Intensity and polarisation degree. The high-voltage cables are clearly visible on the polarimetric image
31
REFERENCES
[1] CHRISTNACHER F., LUTZ Y., MONNIN D.
Systèmes d’imagerie active portables et
embarquables dans différents vecteurs
d’observation
OPTRO 2005, Paris, FR, 9-12 mai 2005
[2] LAURENZIS M., CHRISTNACHER F.
Night Vision and Surveillance under
Diffi cult Atmospheric Conditions. Active
Imaging: a Versatile Method in the Field
of Border/Port Surveillance, Coast
Guarding & Access Control
Workshop on Border & Port Security:
SOBCAH (Surveillance Of Borders
Coastlines And Harbour) Symposium,
Berlin, DE, 28.03.2007
[3] LAURENZIS M., CHRISTNACHER F.,
METZGER N., ZIELENSKI I. (WTD91)
3D Range-Gated Imaging at Infrared
Wavelengths with Super-Resolution Depth
Mapping
Infrared Technology and Application XXXV
(DS100), SPIE Defense Security & Sensor,
Orlando/FL, US, 2009
[4] LAURENZIS M., CHRISTNACHER F.,
MONNIN D.
Long-Range Three-Dimensional Active
Imaging with Superresolution Depth
Mapping
Optics Letters, Vol. 32, No. 21, Nov. 1,
pp. 3146-3148, 2007
[5] MONNIN D., SCHNEIFER A.,
CHRISTNACHER F., LUTZ Y.
A 3D Outdoor Scene Scanner Based on a
Night-Vision Range-Gated Active Imaging
System
Third International Symposium on 3D
Data Processing, Visualization and
Transmission, 3D PVT 2006,
Chapel Hill/NC, US, June 14-16, 2006
[6] POYET J.-M., CHRISTNACHER F.
Imagerie active polarimétrique. Bilan des
activités
ISL-R 122/2007, 2007
[7] ALOUINI M., GOUDAIL F., ROUX N.,
LE HORS L., HARTEMAN P., BREUGNOT S.,
DOLFI D.
Active Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging:
Signature Modeling, Imaging Demonstra-
tor and Target Detection
Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys., 129-139, 2008
[8] BELIN E., CHRISTNACHER F., TAILLADE F.,
LAURENZIS M.
Display of an Analytical Model for
Backscattered Luminance and a
Full-Field Range Gated Imaging System
for Vision in Fog
SPIE Optics+Photonics, 12-14 August,
2008, San Diego/CA, US
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
Fig. 7 – Active imaging (right) in different meteorological visibility conditions (left, road sign at a distance of 30 m) Fig. 8 – Contrast enhancement through active polarimetric imaging
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13visibility [m]
SN
R
degree of polarisationintensity
Visibility 150 m Visibility 11 m
Visibility 10 m
Visibility 9 m
Intensity Degree of polarisation
Visibility 16 m
Visibility 12 m
LAUNCHERS PULSED POWER TECHNOLOGY ACOUSTICS
The research activities in terms
of launcher development are
focused on electromagnetic
railguns. The main objectives are
characterised by improving armature
technology with respect to payload
acceleration and multishot opera-
tions.
In terms of metrology, experiments
in such areas as high magnetic fi eld
measurements, EMC (ElectroMag-
netic Compatibility) and structural
mechanics are carried out in close
connection with European partner
institutes. It should be highlighted
that the CMR (Colossal MagnetoRe-
sistance) sensors developed in co-
operation with the SPI (Vilnius) were
the subject of a contract signed with
the US Navy.
Furthermore, research activities are
being conducted in the fi eld of High-
Power Microwaves (HPMs). A new
compact and lightweight pulse form-
ing coaxial line has been designed,
producing 350 kV bipolar pulses with
rise and fall times of less than
300 ps. Besides this, a new compact
Marx generator capable of generating
1-MV bursts at a repetitive rate of
100 Hz has been developed.
The high-power electric components
required for the above-mentioned
applications, as well as for numerous
other military systems, are also the
focus of intensive research. Studies
concentrate on developing compact
high-power switches and on imple-
menting complete energy supply
chains for mobile deployment scen-
arios. In addition to the development
of highly compact packaged Si-based
semiconducting switches with block-
ing voltages of 13.5 kV (thyristors)
and of highly integrated IGBT de-
vices, ISL is conducting essential
research on SiC-based semiconduct-
ing switches (PIN-diodes, thyristors).
In terms of energy supply chains,
different types were compared with
one another with a railgun as a load.
The supply chains comprise a me-
dium-power device (e. g. a fl ywheel)
33
In terms of acoustic propagation at
long range atmospheric models are
becoming more and more realistic and
can be coupled to acoustic models in
order to estimate the impact of me-
teorology on the performance of
acoustic detection systems.
Measurement techniques for the as-
sessment of improvements made to
the soldier’s equipment with regard
to protection against blast waves and
non-penetrating impacts are in a
phase of continuous evolution.
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
They have to meet the following ap-
parently contradictory requirements:
• on the one hand, the attenuation
in case of dangerous noises has to
be maximised;
• on the other hand, good audio com-
munication and a good perception
of the acoustic environment have
to be ensured.
In this context, 3D audio systems
coupled to radio communication de-
vices have been designed to provide
an intuitive solution allowing an
acoustic representation of the sur-
rounding threats.
The acoustic detection of the weapon
noise, combined with the optical
detection of the shooter’s telescope,
provides valuable information for
counter-sniping. The network archi-
tecture formed by a group of soldiers
equipped with such sensors will allow
each individual soldier to have a
larger fi eld of view and a longer lis-
tening range.
and a high-power storage system
(e.g. a capacitor or SMES).
In the fi eld of electromagnetic detec-
tion an innovative cross-talk reduc-
tion technique for electromagnetic
induction metal detectors has been
developed with the aim of extending
the detection range from 30 cm to
80 cm on typical metal targets. Be-
sides this, the new generation of
NQR spectrometers has been fi nal-
ised. It features a digital synthe-
sizer, a programmable sequencer and
a 2-channel receptor.
In 2009 ISL has started work in the
fi eld of THz physics. Among the quite
interesting techniques applicable to
security and safety, one fi nds the
spectroscopic fi ngerprinting of ex-
plosives or of other illicit substances
and active (or passive) imaging.
In the domain of acoustics and pro-
tection of the soldier solutions have
to be found in order to avoid noise
trauma when using fi ring weapons.
Single shot: 24 stages, V = 1 MV
Repetitive operation: 10 stages, V = 500 kV, f =100 Hz @ 10 s burstMultichip high-voltage thyristor; VDRM = 13.5 kV
CONTEXT
The only sense allowing the dismount-
ed soldier to perceive information about
his environment without prior knowl-
edge of its location is hearing. It allows
the localisation of a threat without ne-
cessarily seeing it. It is also a com-
munication channel allowing the
transmission of information to the sol-
dier without distracting him from
other tasks (e.g. visual tasks or ma-
nipulation tasks). However, this sense
is very vulnerable to overloads and may
be damaged when exposed to impulse
or continuous noise with high pressure
levels. If, for instance, a soldier is ex-
posed to weapon noise without hearing
protection, this can lead to a temporal
or permanent reduction of his hearing
capabilities, and thus reduce his op-
erational effectiveness. Hearing Protec-
tion Devices (HPDs) will avoid hearing
impairment and related problems, but
the use of these devices will also reduce
the operational effectiveness, due to
the attenuation of weak noises that are
important for the perception of the
acoustic environment. This discrep-
ancy is a problem that has to be solved
if hearing protection is to be well ac-
cepted by the soldier. The development
of new HPDs has two goals: they must
provide suffi cient hearing protection
when the infantryman is exposed to
noise and they must not impede his
hearing capabilities when he is in a
quiet environment.
However, dismounted soldiers are also
in contact with the other members of
their group by using radio communica-
tion equipment. It has been shown
(Garinther et al.) that the success of
a mission is directly related to the
intelligibility of the communication
and therefore, it is important to de-
velop technologies for the recording
and the restitution of the verbal com-
munication and to optimise them for
the context in which they are used
(e.g. in a very noisy environment).
The research and development work
performed in the APC group (Acoustics
and Protection of the Soldier) at ISL
HEARING PROTECTION,COMMUNICATION AND PERCEPTION OF THE ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT FOR THE DISMOUNTED SOLDIER
35
lic plate depends on the pressure
difference between the two sides of
the plate. However, this product did
not ensure suffi cient attenuation
when used with large-calibre weapons
and its ergonomics, diffi cult insertion
and the pain caused once properly
fi tted, limited its time of use.
Keeping the same physical principle,
scientists of the APC group at ISL de-
veloped a new nonlinear (level-depend-
ent) earplug. This plug consists of a
small plastic cylinder with a small hole
on both sides which is inserted into a
premoulded earplug (fi g. 3). The per-
formance of this level-dependent plug
is shown in fi gure 4. For a low peak
pressure level (green solid curve) or
for pink noise (black dashed curve)
the plug shows no attenuation below
400 Hz and only moderate Insertion
Loss (IL) compared to standard ear-
plugs at higher frequencies. This fea-
ture allows the user to perceive the
acoustic environment including verbal
communication. When the peak pres-
sure level of the impulse increases,
drum, the recorded signal is pre-
sented to the listener by means of
a loudspeaker located underneath
the protector. This type of protection
allows the soldier to listen to the
acoustic environment at the original
or at an amplifi ed acoustic level as
long as the defi ned critical pressure
values are not reached. Once the
latter are reached, the system limits
the output delivered to the ear to a
safe level. It is possible to connect
these systems to the electronic com-
munication devices. They allow a
good, even enhanced, reproduction
of the sounds present around the
user; however, the localisation ca-
pabilities may be reduced, espe-
cially when earmuff-type systems
are used;
• earplugs using a passive nonlinear
(level-dependent) element. This ap-
proach was initially sold under the
name “Gunfender” by the fi rm RA-
CAL (fi g. 2). The principle shown in
fi gure 2 is the following: the acoustic
impedance of a small hole in a metal-
tries to reconcile the protection of hear-
ing with the perception of the environ-
ment and the need for audio
communication.
HEARING PROTECTION AND PERCEPTION OF THE ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT
It is important for dismounted soldiers
to be able to perceive their acoustic
environment but they also have to be
protected when exposed to weapon
noise. These requirements can be met
by means of two different types of
system:
• hearing protectors, earmuffs or ear-
plugs, with an electronic “talk-
through” capability. These systems
(fi g. 1) record the acoustic scene
around the combatant with a micro-
phone placed outside each hearing
protector. After being processed in
such a way that the sound level does
not reach critical values at the ear
Fig. 1 – Electronic “talk-through”-type earplug: principle and ISL prototype
Fig. 2 – The RACAL “Gunfender” earplug and its basic principle
Lpeak Lpeak * k(Lpeak)
metal plate
hole
being sent through radio communica-
tion systems. The schematic represen-
tation of such a system is shown in
fi gure 5. As the speaker and/or the
listener are often in an environment
with high levels of continuous noise,
the means used for picking up and
reproducing the speech must guaran-
tee a good quality of recording in this
type of environment. Moreover, they
have to be compatible with the head-
gear used and also with the required
HPD.
SPEECH RECORDING
It is usually best to choose aeroacous-
tic microphones when speech has to
be recorded. They use the natural way
of speech transmission in the air and
therefore, record signals that are quite
intelligible when reproduced. If speech
has to be recorded in a noisy environ-
ment, simple microphone confi gurations
are not able to give satisfactory results.
More complicated confi gurations (dif-
ferential microphones) have been de-
the earplug becomes more effi cient
and fi nally, at the highest levels (black
solid curve), it provides a protection
which is equivalent to that of an un-
modifi ed device (green dashed curve).
Moreover, the nonlinear earplug can
be used with almost any headgear
without impeding the use of radio com-
munication devices. It is inexpensive,
easy to maintain and does not need
batteries. A memorandum for the Staff
Director of the US Joint Readiness
Clinical Advisory Board concluded with
the sentence:“In the Combat Arms
Earplug, we fi nally have a hearing pro-
tector that protects without impairing
military effectiveness.”
Millions of pairs of nonlinear earplugs
have since been sold to different armed
forces in Europe and in the USA.
RADIO COMMUNICA-TION
Once the soldier is dismounted, he
also depends on the communication
Fig. 3 – Premoulded nonlinear earplug (schematic representations and fi nished product)
Fig. 4 – Insertion loss of a nonlinear earplug as a func-tion of the peak pressure level
-10
0
10
20
30
40
5032 63 125 250 1k 2k 4k 8k 16k500
frequency [Hz]
insertion loss of a nonlinear earplug
inse
rtion
loss
[dB]
NRpeak = 8 dB
NRpeak = 25 dBNRpeak = 22 dBNRpeak = 14 dBNRpeak = 10 dB
Lpeak = 110 dB
Lpeak = 190 dBLpeak = 170 dBLpeak= 150 dBLpeak = 130 dB linear earplug
pink noise3
mm
37
the poor speech quality due to the en-
closed volumes can be improved.
Using osteo-microphones for recording
speech is well accepted by the user,
but it also poses some problems which
can impede intelligibility. Due to the
generation of vibrations, confusion of
expressed with perceived vowels can
be observed. As a consequence, intel-
ligibility becomes lower. This is espe-
cially true if the redundancy of the
speech is low, e.g. in the case of short
sentences or single words. Another
problem due to the confusion of vow-
els is observed when bone conduction
microphones are used for vocal control.
In this case, the controller has to be
retrained by using an osteo-micro-
phone.
If, after optimising the noise rejection
during the recording, the SNR is still
too low, active denoising algorithms
can be applied to the electrical signal,
as shown in fi gure 7. Algorithms take
advantage of the fact that the speech
is added to the noise only during short
veloped in order to separate near-fi eld
acoustic signals (speech) from far-fi eld
signals (noise). This type of microphone
gives quite good results if it is properly
placed in front of the mouth. However,
when misplaced, the Signal-to-Noise
Ratio (SNR) can drop dramatically. Al-
though the speech perception in human
beings is quite robust against a low
SNR, Vocoder systems used in transmis-
sion devices usually exhibit a reduced
performance under these circumstanc-
es. Therefore, in case aeroacoustic
microphones do not perform well, osteo-
microphones can be used. This type of
microphone records the vibration of the
skull induced by the vibrations of the
vocal tract when a person is speaking.
This device can be mounted in the
headgear of the soldier, e.g. in the head-
band of the protection helmet. Figure
6 shows a device realised at ISL with
an accelerometer fi tted in the headband
of the helmet; the vibrations are re-
corded at the forehead of the person,
which allows a good SNR to be ob-
tained. In a gas mask, if the acceler-
ometer is mounted in the frontal part,
periods. Therefore, by using an adap-
tive Wiener fi lter, the average spectrum
of the noise can be determined in the
frequency domain and subtracted from
the noisy speech signal. After back-
transformation into the time domain
a denoised speech signal will be found.
If the parameters are well adjusted, a
noise reduction in the order of 20 dB
or more can be obtained (see fi g. 7).
SPEECH REPRODUC-TION
Most of the presently used audio com-
munication systems reproduce the
received signal “as is” to the soldier.
This audio signal is mono channel,
and is often only presented to one ear.
Signals presented in this way require
the listener to be more attentive and
necessitate a better SNR for the same
intelligibility.
As the communication systems nor-
mally use digital radio transmission
and the equipment of the dismounted
Fig. 5 – Schematic representation of the speech processing on the transmitting and the receiving sides of an audio communication device
Fig. 6 – Implementation of a vibration pick-up (bone microphone) in the headband of a combat helmet
pick-upmicrophone
air/bone
air/bone
reproductionloudspeaker
signalprocessing
denoising
signalprocessing
3D audio
radio-
transmission
speech
noise
speech
noise
transmitter
spea
ker
reception
liste
ner
20 mm
soldier includes GPS sensors, it is pos-
sible to transmit, together with the
speech signal, the position of the
speaker. This information (fi g. 8) can
be used to process the single-channel
audio data in such a way that the per-
ceived direction of arrival points to the
position of the speaker or to a threat
(e.g. sniper) independently of the ori-
entation of the listener’s head. ISL has
shown that this type of advanced audio
display is very intuitive and allows the
participants to assess the position of
the speaker (or threat) without needing
visual queues. If the speech comes
from more than one source, it also
allows us to spatially discriminate be-
tween the different speakers and thus
to concentrate on the most important
message. If used as a localisation
queue for threats, the 3D audio display
allows the threat to be spotted faster.
On the whole, a 3D audio display will
enhance the communication and the
military effectiveness of the dismount-
ed soldier; besides, as most of the
required hardware is already part of
the equipment, there should not be
an unreasonable increase in energy
consumption and/or weight.
It should be kept in mind that, in the
same way as for the pick-up of the
communication, a soldier is often ex-
posed to an extreme noise scenario,
and therefore, the system reproducing
the audio signals has to be adapted
accordingly (fi g. 6). Open headphone
systems have to be combined with some
sort of earplug (linear or nonlinear) in
order to protect the soldier in the case
of a breaking shot. Headphone systems
in hearing protectors of the ear cup type
are suitable but are often not compat-
ible with the headgear. Another solution
adapted to most types of headgear is a
premoulded or individually moulded
communication earplug for the audio
signal, with an added nonlinear fi lter
(fi g. 9) to ensure the protection against
impulse noise. This device also allows
the perception of the acoustic environ-
ment. If the soldier has also to be pro-
tected against continuous noise, a
Fig. 7 – Principle of noise suppression in speech signals by using adaptive Wiener fi lters
FFTadaptive
Wiener filter
averagenoise spectrum
IFFT
speech
speech + noise
39
solution with an electronic “talk-
through” system (fi g. 1) would be pre-
ferred.
CONCLUSION
For a mission to be successful, the
dismounted soldier relies fully on the
quality of the perception of his acous-
tic environment and on the quality of
his communication with the other
members of his group. As his task
involves his being exposed to weapon
noise, the soldier has to be protected
against this type of hazard as well. The
use of HPDs, however, is often in op-
position to a good perception of the
environment and verbal communica-
tion. The APC group of ISL therefore
develops and proposes devices that
are able to solve this dilemma. In ad-
dition, it is necessary to optimise the
voice pick-up and the processing in
such a way that an optimal SNR is
obtained. This has to be done care-
fully, because not all evident solutions
will enhance the quality of the com-
munication. The group also proposes
new methods for the reproduction of
the audio signals, like 3D audio dis-
plays that will enhance the acoustic
perception of the environment and as
a consequence, improve the opera-
tional effectiveness.
For more information:
Contact: [email protected]
Fig. 8 – Schematic representation of a networked 3D audio display
Fig. 9 – Communication earplug with added ISL-type nonlinear fi lter
N
S
EW
local GPS data
GPSantenna
remote GPS data+ audio signal
head
alig
nmen
t
left-
ear a
udio
right
-ear
aud
io
3Daudio processing
sniperdetection
GPS data of sniper
+ audio alert
GPS data of talker
+ audio communication
sniper
perceived direction perce
ived d
irecti
on
digi
tal r
adio
ISL-type nonlinearacoustic filter
hearing aid-typereceiver
41
• high-power microwaves for ignition
of explosive devices,
• fundamental research on IED threats
and development of protective meas-
ures.
ISL’s key strengths include proven
skills in research and expertise man-
agement ranging from fundamental
aspects to prototype development. ISL
is able to contribute to projects in any
capacity, be it as prime contractor, or
provider of high-value services, de-
pending on each customer’s require-
ments.
In order to form sustainable relation-
ships with governments, institutional
and private customers, a new organisa-
tion and novel processes have been
implemented at ISL with the aim of
developing cooperations, contracts,
patent valorisation, licence/know-how
transfer and also business and cus-
tomer portfolios. This is why a Business
Development Offi ce has been created
and attached to ISL’s General Staff.
Two kinds of contracts are performed:
governmental contracts and third con-
tracts. More than 30% of ISL activities
are under contract, including 5% of
third contracts. ISL is also strongly
involved in DGA and BWB contracts,
the 7th R&D Framework Programme,
the European Defence Agency pro-
grammes, the French and German
national programmes (Agence
The French-German Research Institute
of Saint-Louis (ISL) provides research
activities and expertise to meet French
and German MoD requirements as well
as those of institutional and private
customers in aerospace, defence, se-
curity and civil markets.
The need for science, new solutions
and innovation to counter the threat
of terrorism is of crucial importance.
It is necessary to show the potential
of European research and to use it in
order to increase security. As the fi rst
centre of its kind created in Europe,
ISL’s initial mission was research, sci-
entifi c studies and basic predevelop-
ment in the armament domain. ISL
has overcome the dividing line between
civil and military research by reinforc-
ing its activities on problems of global
security and countermeasures against
terrorism encountered both at home
and during overseas military opera-
tions. ISL is now a high-research cen-
tre which provides security solutions
in the following fi elds:
• area surveillance, sensor network
technology, active imaging, imaging
processing, reconnaissance in urban
environments,
• communication in noisy environ-
ments, sniper detection,
• detection of explosives, synthesis of
material for detection, theory and
experiments on nuclear quadrupole
resonance detectors,
Nationale de la Recherche – ANR – and
BundesMinisterium für Bildung und
Forschung – BMBF).
The dual civil/military nature of re-
searches and applications is central
to ISL’s strategy:
• with a balanced mix of business in
the domain of third contracts
(56% defence, 44% dual use), ISL
is acknowledged for its expertise in
all the technologies that are key to
effective defence and security ca-
pabilities in the 21st century;
• this exhaustive approach to defence,
security and civil needs has brought
ISL a unique portfolio of customers,
including industries of defence, gov-
ernments and administrations, civil
defence and military forces in
Europe but also in the USA and
Canada.
In 2009 ISL has booked a record
level of new orders with an increase
of about 60% compared to 2008. In
comparison with 31 December 2008,
the consolidated contracts for 2010
will stand at the same level.
In the Defence segment, revenues have
risen by a factor higher than 3 in com-
parison with 2008. Security revenues
have been 26% higher than in 2008.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
HIRTH A., EICHHORN M.Vorrichtung zur Erzeugung einer Laserstrahlung
im Infrarotbereich
Ref. ISL: 205
Registered in Germany
Patent No.: 10 2004 047 163.-54, fi led:
29.09.2004, granted: 22.01.2009
EICHHORN M.Heat Capacity Laser and Associated Lasing
Medium
Ref. ISL: 239
Registered in the USA
Publication No: US-2009-0022190-A1, fi led:
17.07.2008, published: 22.01.2009
EICHHORN M.Wärmekapazitätlaser
Ref. ISL: 239
Registered in Germany
Application No: 10 2007 033 624.3, fi led:
17.07.2007, published: 22.01.2009
SPITZER D., BARAS C.Procédé de fabrication par nanocristallisation
de composés énergétiques ou inertes
Ref. ISL: 214
Registered in France
Patent No.: 06 01257, fi led: 14.02.2006,
granted: 23.01.2009
EICHHORN M.Laser à capacité calorifi que et milieu associé
Ref. ISL: 239
Registered in France
Application No: 08 03799, fi led: 04.07.2008,
published: 23.01.2009
STERZELMEIER K., LACH E., SPAHN E.Dispositif d’essai hautement dynamique de
matériaux
Ref. ISL: 206
Registered in France
Patent No.: 05 10447, fi led: 13.10.2005,
granted: 20.02.2009
BROMMER V., SPAHN E.XRAM Generator with an Opening Switch
Ref. ISL: 204
Registered in the USA
Patent No.: US-2006/0215464-A1, fi led:
26.01.2006, granted: 24.02.2009
STERZELMEIER K., DERKSEMA J.-J.(1)
Driving Device for Applying a Magnetic Pulse to
a Mechanical Assembly and Aircraft Carrying
Ejection Device Implementing Same
Ref. ISL: 237
Registered as PCT-Application
Application No. WO 2009/024733 A3, fi led:
22.08.2008, published: 26.02.2009
STERZELMEIER K., DERKSEMA J.-J.(1)
Dispositif moteur destiné à appliquer une im-
pulsion magnétique à un ensemble mécanique,
et dispositif d’éjection d’emport d’aéronef en
comportant application
Ref. ISL: 237
Registered in France
Application No. 07 57138, fi led: 23.08.2007,
published: 27.02.2009
SCHNEIDER M., SPAHN E., BALEVICIUS S.(2), STANKEVIC V.(2), ŽURAUSKIENE N.(2)
Dispositif de mesure de l’introduction magné-
tique comportant plusieurs bandes de fi lm
mince présentant des phénomènes de magné-
torésistance colossale
Ref. ISL: 238
Registered in France
Application No.: 07 06610, fi led: 20.09.2007,
published: 23.03.2009
SCHNEIDER M., SPAHN E., BALEVICIUS S.(2), STANKEVIC V.(2), ŽURAUSKIENE N.(2)
Dispositif de mesure de l’introduction magné-
tique comportant plusieurs bandes de fi lm
mince présentant des phénomènes de magné-
torésistance colossale
Ref. ISL: 238
Registered in Europe
Application No.: EP08290880.7-2216, fi led:
18.09.2008, published: 25.03.2009
SPITZER D., COMET M., PICHOT V.(3)
Composition explosive comportant un premier
matériau organique infi ltré dans un second
matériau microporeux
Ref. ISL: 243
Registered in Europe
Application No.: EP 08017175.4, fi led
30.09.2008, published: 08.04.2009
SPITZER D., COMET M., PICHOT V.(3)
Composition explosive comportant un premier
matériau organique infi ltré dans un second
matériau microporeux
Ref. ISL: 243
Registered in France
Application No.: 07 07016, fi led 05.10.2007,
published: 10.04.2009
CHANGEY S., FLECK V., BEAUVOIS D.(4)
Procédé de détermination de l’attitude, de la
position et de la vitesse d’un engin mobile
Ref. ISL: 235
Registered in Europe
Application No.: EP 08290940.9, fi led
07.10.2008, published: 15.04.2009
CHANGEY S., FLECK V., BEAUVOIS D.(4)
Procédé de détermination de l’attitude, de la
position et de la vitesse d’un engin mobile
Ref. ISL: 235
Registered in France
Application No.: 07 07161, fi led 12.10.2007,
published: 17.04.2009
PATENTS – LICENCES
(1) ALKAN
(2) SPI
(3) CNRS
(4) SUPELEC
(5) XLIM
43
RAYMOND P., CHARON R.Générateur haute tension d’impulsions
Ref. ISL: 219
Registered in Europe
Patent No.: 1 760 884, fi led: 29.08.2006,
granted: 29.04.2009 with designation of
following countries: France, Germany, Great
Britain and Sweden
GNEMMI P., REY C.Nouveau dispositif embarqué de génération de
décharge(s) plasma pour le pilotage d’un engin
supersonique ou hypersonique
Ref. ISL: 228
Registered in Europe
Patent No.: 1 767 894, fi led: 21.09.2006,
granted: 13.05.2009 with designation of
following countries: France, Germany, Great
Britain and Sweden
ZIMPFER-JOST V., BUCK K.Broad-Dynamic Filtering Procedure for a Recur-
sive Digital Filter Installed in a Signal Processor
(DSP) Operating with Integers
Ref. ISL: 180
Registered in the USA
Patent No.: 7,552,157, fi led: 18.11.2005
(continuation), granted: 23.06.2009
CHANGEY S., FLECK V., BEAUVOIS D.(4)
Method for Determining the Attitude, Position,
and Velocity of a Mobile Device
Ref. ISL: 235
Registered in the USA
Application No.: US-2009-0182503-A1, fi led
14.10.2008, published: 16.07.2009
BORNE L.Process for the Preparation of Explosive
Particles
Ref. ISL: 222
Registered in Great Britain
Patent No.: 2 426 755, fi led: 01.06.2006,
granted: 22.07.2009
EICHHORN M.Laser Device
Ref. ISL: 244
Registered in the USA
Application No.: US-2009-0190616-A1, fi led:
26.01.2009, published: 30.07.2009
HIRTH A., KIELECK C.Procédé d’émission d’un rayonnement laser
pulsé et source laser associée
Ref. ISL: 242
Registered in France
Application No.: 08 00387, fi led: 25.01.2008,
published: 31.07.2009
EICHHORN M.Laseranordnung
Ref. ISL: 244
Registered in Europe
Application No.: EP 09001073.7-2222, fi led:
27.01.2009, published: 05.08.2009
LEOPOLD F., BIDINO D.Drallstabilisiertes Geschoss mit Leitfl ügeln
Ref. ISL: 240a
Registered in Germany
Application No.: 10 2008 007 432.2, fi led:
01.02.2008, published: 06.08.2009
LEOPOLD F., BIDINO D.Drallstabilisiertes, lenkbares Geschoss und
Verfahren zu seiner Lenkung
Ref. ISL: 240b
Registered in Germany
Application No.: 10 2008 007 435.7, fi led:
01.02.2008, published: 13.08.2009
LEOPOLD F., BIDINO D.Projectile gyrostabilisé à ailettes de guidage
Ref. ISL: 240a
Registered in France
Application No.: 09 00385, fi led: 30.01.2009,
published: 28.08.2009
LEOPOLD F., BIDINO D.Projectile gyrostabilisé et pilotable et procédé
utilisé pour son pilotage
Ref. ISL: 240b
Registered in France
Application No.: 09 00384, fi led: 30.01.2009,
published: 28.08.2009
VERGNE B., COUDERC V.(5), LEVEQUE P.(5)
Générateur d’impulsions électriques de forte
puissance à spectre évolutif, installation et
équipement mettant en œuvre un tel générateur
Ref. ISL: 245
Registered in France
Application No.: 08 52444, fi led 11.04.2008,
published: 16.10.2009
EICHHORN M.Laseranordnung
Ref. ISL: 244
Registered in Germany
Patent No.: 10 2008 006 661.3, fi led:
29.01.2008, granted: 22.10.2009
ISL-PU 601/2009Anzündung und Abbrand von Treibla-
dungspulvern - Ist Grundlagenfor-
schung noch notwendig?
Ignition and Combustion of Solid
Propellants, - Do We still Need Basic
Research?
PETER H.
Lecture Carl-Cranz-Seminar “Interior Ballistics -
Performance Increase of Guns”, ISL, Saint-Louis,
FR, 18.-20.11.2008
ISL-PU 602/2009Display of an Analytical Model for Back-
scattered Luminance and a Full-Field
Range Gated Imaging System for Vision
in Fog
BELIN E.*, CHRISTNACHER F., TAILLADE F.*,
LAURENZIS M.
SPIE Optics+Photonics, San Diego/CA, US,
August 12-14, 2008
ISL-PU 604/2009Nanothermites for Space and Defence
Applications
COMET M., SPITZER D., MOEGLIN J.-P.
Proceedings of SPIE Defense, Security +
Sensing, Orlando/FL, US, April 13-17, 2009
ISL-PU 606/2009Use of Nanodiamond as a Reducing
Agent in a Chlorate-Based Energetic
Composition
COMET M., PICHOT V., SIEGERT B.,
MOEGLIN J.-P., BOEHRER Y., SPITZER D.
Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics,
Vol. 34 (2), 2009
ISL-PU 610/2009An Effi cient Purifi cation Method for
Detonation Nanodiamonds
PICHOT V., COMET M., FOUSSON E., BARAS Ch.,
SENGER A.*, LE NORMAND F.*, SPITZER D.
Diamond and Related Materials 17, 13-22, 2008
ISL-PU 611/2009Zeta Potential Study of Detonation
Nanodiamonds
PICHOT V., COMET M., FOUSSON E., SIEGERT B.,
SPITZER D.
Proceedings of the Third International
Symposium “Detonation Nanodiamond:
Technology, Properties and Applications”
(Nanodiamond 2008), St. Petersburg, RU,
July 1-4, 2008
ISL-PU 612/2009Synthèse de nanodiamants par détona-
tion : utilisation de ces nanoparticules
en pyrotechnie
Detonation Synthesis of Nanodiamonds:
Use of these Nanoparticles in Pyrotech-
nics
PICHOT V., COMET M., FOUSSON E., SPITZER D.
L’Actualité Chimique n° 329, pp. 8-13, avril 2009
ISL-PU 616/2009Experimental and Numerical Investi-
gations of Flow Confi ned in a Vertical
Missile Launcher
SOURGEN F., HAERTIG J., REY C., BAUDIN D.*,
GETIN N.*
AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (JSR),
Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 307-317, March-April 2009
ISL-PU 618/2009Thermally Driven AFM for Nano-
energetics: A Method to Investigate the
Decomposition on the Nanoscale
SPITZER D.
G.I.T. Imaging & Microscopy 2/2009, pp. 44-46,
GIT VERLAG GmbH & Co. KG,0 Darmstadt, DE
PUBLICATIONS
* not member of ISL
45
ISL-PU 621/2009Aktive Bilderfassung in streuenden
Medien
Active Imaging in Scattering Media
LAURENZIS M., CHRISTNACHER F.,
MATWYSCHUK A., BACHER E., METZGER N.,
POYET J.-M.
Vortrag im Rahmen des F&T-Symposiums 2009
des BMVg an der BAkWVT, Mannheim, DE,
3.03.-4.03.2009
ISL-PU 624/2009Real-Time Estimation of Supersonic Pro-
jectile Roll Angle Using Magnetometers:
In-Lab Experimental Validation
CHANGEY S., PECHEUR E.*, WEY P.
2nd IFAC Workshop on Dependable Control of
Discrete Systems, Bari, IT, June 10-12, 2009
ISL-PU 625/2009Structure and Reactivity of CNT/Manga-
nese Oxide Nanocomposites
SIEGERT B., SPITZER D., COMET M.
Proceedings of the World Conference on Carbon
2009, Biarritz, FR
ISL-PU 626/2009Phosphorus Based Nanothermites: A
New Generation of Pyrotechnics Illus-
trated by the Example of n-CuO / Red P
Mixtures
COMET M., SIEGERT B., SCHNELL F.*, PICHOT V.,
CISZEK F., SPITZER D.
36th International Pyrotechnics Seminar
(36th IPS), Rotterdam, NL, August 23 - 28, 2009
ISL-PU 629/2009Modeling and Control of Two GLMAV
Hover-Flight Concepts
GNEMMI P., KOEHL A.*, MARTINEZ B.,
CHANGEY S., THEODOULIS S.*
4th Annual International Micro Air Vehicle
Workshop and Flight Competition (IMAV 2009),
Pensacola/FL, US, June 1-5, 2009
ISL-PU 633/2009Évaluation empirique en régime impul-
sionnel de divers bouchons d’oreille
passifs à atténuation dépendant du
niveau de bruit
Empirical Evaluation Using Impulse
Noise of the Level-Dependency of
Various Passive Earplug Designs
BERGER E.*, HAMERY P.
Acoustique & Techniques, n° 56, dossier spécial
AUDIOLOGIE, 2009
ISL-PU 634/2009Investigation on the Explosion-Driven
Dispersion and Combustion of Alumi-
nium Particles
GRÉGOIRE Y., STURTZER M.-O., KHASAINOV B.*,
VEYSSIÈRE B.*
22nd International Colloquium on the Dynamics
of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Minsk, BY,
July 27-31, 2009
ISL-PU 635/2009Infl uence of the Charge Mass on the
Confi nement Volume Ratio in the Case
of Internal Thermobaric Explosions
STURTZER M.-O., RECK B., ECKENFELS D.
13th International Symposium on the Interaction
of the Effects of Munitions with Structures,
Brühl, DE, May 11-15, 2009
ISL-PU 636/2009Trajectory-Based Accurate Linearization
of the 155 mm Spin-Stabilized Projectile
Dynamics
THEODOULIS S.*, MOREL Y., WERNERT Ph.
AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference
and Exhibit, Chicago/IL, US, August 10-13, 2009
ISL-PU 639/2009Stability Analysis for Canard Guided
Dual-Spin Stabilized Projectiles
WERNERT Ph.
AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference
and Exhibit, Chicago/IL, US, August 10-13, 2009
ISL-PU 641/2009Flow-Field Measurements by PIV in
Hypersonic Flows
GNEMMI P., REY C., SRULIJES J., SEILER F.,
HAERTIG J.
Fachtagung “Lasermethoden in der Strömungs-
messtechnik”, Erlangen, DE,
8.-10. September 2009
ISL-PU 642/2009Phosphorus as Reducing Agent for
Thermites
COMET M., SIEGERT B., PICHOT V., HASSLER D.,
PIAZZON N., SPITZER D.
Proceedings of the International Pyrotechnic
Automotive Safety Symposium (IPASS 2009),
Bordeaux, FR, November 17-18, 2009
ISL-PU 643/2009Nouvelles Possibilités des Peintures
Sensibles à la Pression Nanostructurées
(NANOPSP)
Possibilities of Nanostructured Pressure
Sensitive Paints (NANOPSP)
GAUTHIER Th., COMET M., PICHOT V.,
SOURGEN F., SPITZER D., PIAZZON N.,
LEOPOLD F., MARTINEZ E.*
FLUVISU : 13ème Congrès Français de
Visualisation et de Traitement d'Images en
Mécanique des Fluides, 16- 20 novembre 2009,
Reims, FR
ISL-PU 650/2009Performance of a Hexagonal, Segment-
ed Railgun
HUNDERTMARK S., VINCENT G.
Pulsed Power Conference, 2009 IET European,
pp. 1-4, September 21-25, 2009
ISL-PU 651/2009Study of an Ultra-Compact, Repetitive
Marx Generator for HPM Applications
BISCHOFF R., CHARON R., DUPEROUX J.-P.,
MARTIN B. PINGUET S.*
Acta Physica Polonica A, Vol. 115, No. 6,
June 2009, pp. 964-966,
Proceedings of the 2nd Euro-Asian Pulsed Power
Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, September
22-26, 2008
ISL-PU 652/200970 mJ Single-Frequency Q-Switched
Ho:YLF Ring Laser - Amplifi er System
Pumped by a Single 82-W Tm Fibre
Laser
BOLLIG C*, ESSER M.J.D.*, JACOBS C.*,
KOEN W.*, PREUSSLER D.*, NYANGAZA K.*,
SCHELLHORN M.
Middle-Infrared Coherent Sources (MICS),
Trouville, FR, June 8-12, 2009, Mo3 (invited)
(2009)
ISL-PU 657/2009Increase of Gun Performance Using
Co-Layered Propellants Based on Nena
Formulations
RITTER H., BASCHUNG B., FRANCO P.
DEA 1060 Workshop "Interior & Exterior
Ballistics" WTD 91, Meppen, DE, June 16-18,
2009
ISL-PU 644/2009Plasma Actuation for the Control of a
Surpersonic Projectile
GNEMMI P., REY C.
AIAA - Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets,
Vol. 46, No. 5, pp. 989-998,
September-October 2009
ISL-PU 645/2009Aerodynamic Coeffi cients of Earth Entry
Capsules Free Flight Testing Program
BERNER C., FLECK V., SOMMER E., TRAN Ph.*
60th Aeroballistic Range Association Meeting,
Baltimore, ML/US, 20-25 September, 2009
ISL-PU 646/2009Nano Nickel Strengthened Open Cell
Metals Foams under Quasistatic and
Dynamic Loading
JUNG A.*, NATTER H.*, HEMPELMANN R.*, LACH E.
Dymat 2009, Brussels, BE, September 7-11,
2009
ISL-PU 647/2009Nanostructured Ni/n-Al2O3 Metal Matrix
Composites Prepared by Pulsed Elec-
trodeposition
NATTER H.*, JUNG A.*, LACH E., HEMPELMANN R.*
216th ECS Meeting in Vienna, AT
ISL-PU 649/2009Study of the Magnetic Flux Density
Distribution of Nickel Coated Aluminum
Foams
JUNG A.*, NATTER H.*, HEMPELMANN R.*,
DIEBELS S.*, KOBLISCHKA M.R.*,
HARTMANN U.*, LACH E.
International Conference on Magnetism -
ICM 2009, Karlsruhe, DE, July 26-31, 2009
47
ISL-U-PU 607/2009Acoustic Detection and Localization of
Weapons Fire via Unattended Ground
Sensors and Aerostat-Borne Sensors
NAZ P., MARTY C.*, HENGY S., MILLER S.
Proceedings of SPIE Defense&Security,
Orlando/FL, US, April 13-17, 2009
ISL-U-PU 608/2009High-Power Diode-Pumped Tm:YLF
Slab Laser
SCHELLHORN M., NGCOBO S.*, BOLLIG C.*
Appl. Phys. B, 94(2), 195-198 (2009)
ISL-U-PU 609/2009High-Power Diode-Pumped Tm:YLF
Laser
SCHELLHORN M.
Appl. Phys. B, 91(1), 71-74 (2008)
ISL-U-PU 613/2009Numerical and Experimental Investi-
gations of a New Circularly Polarized
Patch Antenna with an Integrated Opti-
cal Lens
BERNARD L.
Third European Conference on Antennas and
Propagation, Berlin, DE, March 23-27, 2009
ISL-U-PU 615/2009A Model for Predicting Transition in
Railgun Fiber Brush Armatures
RECK B., LEHMANN P., SPAHN E., WENNING W.,
VO M.D.
IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 45, No. 1,
January 2009
ISL-U-PU 617/2009Friction-Induced Structural Modifi ca-
tions of Mg and Ti Surfaces
ELEÖD A.*, BERTHIER Y.*, LACH E., TÖRKÖLY T.*,
JUHASZ G.*
Tribology International, Volume 42, Issue 5, pp.
690-698, May 2009
ISL-U-PU 619/2009Solid State and Template Free Synthe-
sis of a Nanotubular Polyaniline-TiO2
Composite
BONNOT K.*, GRANDCOLAS M.*, KELLER V.*,
SPITZER D.
Proceedings of NSTI-Nanotech 2009, Composite
Materials - Novel Nanocomposite Structures,
Houston/TX, US, May 3-7, 2009
ISL-U-PU 620/2009Nanocrystalline Alumina Dispersed
in Nanocrystalline Nickel: Enhanced
Mechanical Properties
JUNG A.*, NATTER H.*, HEMPELMANN R.*, LACH E.
Journal of Materials Science, 44 (11): 2725-
2735, June 2009
ISL-U-PU 622/20093D Range-Gated Imaging at Infrared
Wavelengths with Super-Resolution
Depth Mapping
LAURENZIS M., CHRISTNACHER F., METZGER N.,
BACHER E., ZIELENSKI I.*
Proceedings of SPIE Defense, Security +
Sensing, Orlando/FL, US, April 13-17, 2009
ISL-U-PU 623/2009Small-Size Circularly Polarized Patch
Antenna with an Opening for a Video
Grenade
BERNARD L.
IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters,
Vol. 7, 2008
ISL-U-PU 627/2009Phosphorus Based Nanothermites: A
New Generation of Energetic Materials
COMET M., PICHOT V., SIEGERT B., SCHNELL F.*,
CISZEK F., SPITZER D.
Proceedings EMRS, Strasbourg, FR, June 8-12,
2009
Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids
ISL-U-PU 628/2009Les armes acoustiques. Principes, effets
et tolérances physiologiques
SENDOWSKI I.*, NAZ P., HOLY X.*, BUTIGIEG X.*,
ABAAMRANE L.*, RAFFIN F.*
Médecine et Armées, 2009, 37, 2
ISL-U-PU 630/2009The Variability of Local Structure Pa-
rameters in the Convective Boundary
Layer
CHEINET S., SIEBESMA A.P.*
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 66,
pp. 1002-1017, 2009
ISL-U-PU 631/2009Investigation of the Acceleration of Alu-
minum Particles Behind a Shock Wave
Using Instantaneous Laser Doppler
Velocimetry
SCHLÖFFEL G., BASTIDE M., BACHMANN S.*,
MUNDT C.*, SEILER F.
Shock Waves (2009) 19:125-134
ISL-U-PU 632/2009Performance of Different Types of Hear-
ing Protectors Undergoing High-Level
Impulse Noise
BUCK K.
International Journal of Occupational Safety and
Ergonomics (JOSE) 2009, Vol. 15, No. 2, 227-240
ISL-U-PU 637/2009Measurement of the Magnetic Field
Distribution in Railguns Using
CMR-B-Scalar Sensors
LIEBFRIED O., SCHNEIDER M., LÖFFLER M.J*.,
BALEVICIUS S.*, ŽURAUSKIENE· N.*,
STANKEVIC V.*
Acta Physica Polonica A 115(6), June 2009,
pp. 1125 - 1127
ISL-U-PU 638/2009Thin Film Manganite-Metal Intercon-
nection and "Loop Effect" Studies in
CMR-Based High Magnetic Field
Sensors
BALEVICIUS S.*,STANKEVIC V.*,
ŽURAUSKIENE· N.*, ŠIMKEVICIUS C.*,
LIEBFRIED O., LÖFFLER M.J.*, SCHNEIDER M.,
ABRUTIS A.*, PLAUŠINAITIENE· V.*
Acta Physica Polonica A 115(6), June 2009,
pp. 1133- 1135
ISL-U-PU 640/2009Detonation Nanodiamonds for Doping
Kevlar
COMET M., PICHOT V., SIEGERT B., BRITZ F.*,
SPITZER D.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,
2010, Vol. 10
ISL-U-PU 648/2009Comparison between Linear Electro-
magnetic Accelerators
SIAENEN T., LÖFFLER M.J.*
Acta Physica Polonica A 115(6), June 2009,
pp. 1089-1091
ISL-U-PU 653/2009Compact Fibre-Laser-Pumped Ho:YLF
Oscillator-Amplifi er System
KOEN W.*, BOLLIG C.*, STRAUSS H.*,
SCHELLHORN M., JACOBS C.*, ESSER M.J.D.*
Applied Physics B, 2009,
DOI 10.1007/s00340-009-3819-y
ISL-U-PU 654/2009Compact Fibre-Laser-Pumped Ho:YLF
Oscillator-Amplifi er System
BOLLIG C.*, STRAUSS H.*, ESSER M.J.D.*,
KOEN W.*, SCHELLHORN M., PREUSSLER D.*,
NYANGAZA K.*, JACOBS C.*, BERNHARDI E.H.*,
BOTHA L.R.*
CLEO-Europe 2009, Munich, DE,
paper CA10.6Thu
ISL-U-PU 655/2009High-Power Diode-Pumped Tm:YLF
Slab Laser
SCHELLHORN M., NGCOBO S.*, BOLLIG C.*,
ESSER M.J.D., PREUSSLER D.*, NYANGAZA K.*
CLEO-Europe 2009, Munich, DE,
paper CA1.3Mon
ISL-U-PU 656/2009Doppler Picture Velocimetry (DPV) Ap-
plied to Hypersonics Automated DPV
Fringe Pattern Analysis Using the FFT
Method
PICHLER A., GEORGE A., SEILER F., SRULIJES J.,
SAUERWEIN B.
Shock Waves: Vol. 19, Issue 5 (2009), p. 413
ISL-U-PU 658/2009B-Scalar Measurements by CMR-Based
Sensors of Highly Inhomogeneous Tran-
sient Magnetic Fields
LIEBFRIED O., LÖFFLER M.J.*, SCHNEIDER M.,
BALEVICIUS S.*, .STANKEVIC V.*,
ŽURAUSKIENE· N.*, ABRUTIS A.*,
PLAUŠINAITIENE· V.*
IEEE Trans. Magn., No. 45(12), pp. 5301-5306,
December 2009
main figures
buDget
staff
12%
64%
24%
Investment
Salaries (and social security contributions)
Operating costs
Expenses 2009: 46.083 M€
Workforce (1/12/2009): 370.7
24%
5%
22%
18%
17%
14%
Scientists
PhD students
Engineers
Technicians
Workers
Directors + Administration Staff
Distribution of research activities in 2009
scientific Documents
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
12.40%
8.50%
6.30%
19.50%
12.70%
16.00%
24.60%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
Innovative research
Lasers and laser applications
Perforation - protection - detonics
Protection and environment of soldiers
Guidance and control of projectiles
Electrical engineering
Management, technology transfer
Percentage of total activity
0
50
100
150
200
42
81
168
Scientific publicationsedited in 2009
Reports and papers
Publications(conferences, scientific journals, posters)Documents written within the frameworkof a contract or an agreement
Published by French-German Research Institute
of Saint-Louis (ISL)
5 rue du Général Cassagnou
BP 70034
68301 SAINT LOUIS Cedex
France
web: www.isl.eu
Editors IGA A. PICQ, MinR M. WEIAND
Editing, Graphic design, Layout Publishing Service - ISL
Photos© ISL
Printed by KRAFT.DRUCK
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As of December 2009
Content Support and CoordinationCommunication - ISL
Phone: +33 (0) 3 89 69 53 18
fax: +33 (0) 3 89 69 58 58
e-mail: [email protected]
Documents will be sent on requeste-mail: [email protected]
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whole or in part in any form whatsoever
© French-German Research Institute
of Saint-Louis (ISL),
Saint-Louis, France, 2009
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French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL)
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