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: div1@isl.eu

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: div1@isl.eu

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: div2@isl.eu

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: div2@isl.eu

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: div3@isl.eu

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: div3@isl.eu

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: div4@isl.eu

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: div4@isl.eu

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

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web: www.isl.eu

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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

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e-mail: communication@isl.eu

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of Saint-Louis (ISL),

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