AFRL sustainment activities

Dr. Adam Pilchak, Air Force Research Laboratory materials research engineer, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, loads a piece of a fractured titanium disk into a scanning electron microscope. By looking at the microscopic features on the fracture surface, researchers are able to determine how the crack initiated and spreads through the component to cause the failure. This helps AFRL researchers identify deficiencies in the manufacturing process and ultimately change the processing route to improve the fatigue capability of future components. "The technology options AFRL provides give our warfighters an advantage on the battlefields of today and tomorrow,” said AFRL commander Maj. Gen. Thomas Masiello. “Those options help ensure we are on the right side of an unfair fight against America's adversaries, and it's our mission to keep it that way.” (Air Force photo by Michele Eaton)