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Contact development between the surfaces of two tapes is considered as a critical step in processing carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites. In this study, the development of intimate contact between carbon fiber reinforced Polyamide-6 (PA-6) tapes is investigated experimentally using consolidation experiments and X-ray computed tomography for quantitative contact characterization. The experimental results indicate that the development of intimate contact occurs in the range of seconds even when temperatures are only slightly above the melting temperature and applied pressures is in the range of 1-4 kPa. Experimental data are compared with the results of the two analytical models proposed by Lee and Springer as well as Yang and Pitchumani. Both models overestimate the time needed to reach full contact for the PA-6 tape. In comparison to previously investigated PEEK materials, PA-6 has a relatively low viscosity and the tapes possess a resin-rich layer near the surface, which seems to influence the contact development process. Besides the assumptions made for viscosity, the sensitivity to input parameters describing the surface topology strongly influence the model results and the accuracy of predictions.

The research investigated a new course of fire, called combat field fire (CFF), to determine CFF marksmanship standards, and where CFF should occur in marksmanship training. CFF is a complex scenario requiring changing magazines, reacting to a simulated malfunction and engaging targets within arrays that require multiple hits. Ten training companies (1976 Soldiers) from the Infantry OSUT and Basic Combat Training Brigades at Ft. Benning, GA participated. Six companies executed Army qualification at the end of basic rifle marksmanship (BRM) and CFF at the end of advanced rifle marksmanship (ARM). Four executed CFF in BRM and executed Army qualification in ARM. Performance data and Soldier interviews revealed the unique dynamics of CFF, differentiating it from Army qualification. Results showed that CFF should be in ARM, as Soldiers were not prepared in BRM for the additional skills and demands required by CFF. Recommended standards were developed for the Expert, Sharpshooter, Marksman, and Unqualified marksmanship categories, TPU (trained, needs practice, and not trained) categories., and Go/NoGo categories. 15. SUBJECT TERMS basic rifle marksmanship, advanced rifle marksmanship, combat field fire, measuring Soldier performance, marksmanship training, marksmanship qualification, combat fire, marksmanship standards SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF 19.

Plenoptic cameras based on micro lens arrays as well as multi aperture cameras are able to capture a multitude of images with slightly shifted viewpoints. Although the amount of parallax between adjacent views is limited, precautions have to be taken in order to avoid alias when performing direct lightfield rendering. Against this background, we present an approach for the dense reconstruction of a lightfield based on a sparse lightfield acquired from a multi aperture camera with subsequent disparity estimation and depth image based view interpolation. Results show that the approach is suitable for all-in-focus-rendering

, MO were interviewed to determine which course criterion exhibited large variation in officer performance. Based on those interviews, the criterion of defensive planning was chosen. Five types of predictors were constructed. The first type was predictive judgments of criterion performance. The second type was biodata items. The third and fourth types consisted of self-report items measuring training experiences in criterion-relevant activities and confidence in one's own ability to carry out criterionrelevant actions. The fifth type was a test of prior knowledge. Results showed that prior knowledge alone predicted criterion performance, but only for officers with no prior enlistment experience. In addition, the interrelationships among the variables differed markedly between officers with prior enlisted experience and officers without. These results underscore the need for empirically validating performance predictors in Army courses. We discussed in detail how these findings enable instructors to make informed decisions about tailoring training. ii iii

Tailoring training can improve effectiveness and efficiency. However, before informed decisions regarding tailoring Army institutional training can be made, instruments which predict performance must be available. To that end, instructors from the Infantry Advanced Leaders Course at Fort Benning, GA were interviewed to determine which course criteria exhibited large variation in student performance. Based on those interviews, two criteria were chosen: land navigation and troop leading procedures Four types of predictors were constructed for each criterion. The first type was predictive judgments of Soldier criterion performance. The second type was demographic items. The third type was self-report items concerning specific, criterion-relevant experiences. The fourth type was prior knowledge tests. For each criterion, prior knowledge alone significantly predicted performance. The different nature of the criteria has implications for both the construction of prior knowledge tests and how prior knowledge tests can be used to predict performance. Ways in which these results can be translated into user-friendly tools for course managers, instructors, and other relevant personnel are illustrated.