PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: MDA22-003

Description

Government desires solid propulsion systems with greater impulse and thrust for future systems. Increasing solid propellant burn temperatures may achieve this goal but also creates thermal challenges for materials for high temperature flow locations such as pintle valves. The combination of high temperature performance, low thermal conductivity, and high tensile strength significantly limits the selection of available materials for current pintles. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) will develop an innovative composite pintle architecture to meet high temperature and high strength needs of future systems. The architecture combines existing high temperature fiber-reinforced ceramics with a novel insulating material. The resulting element has high axial and bending strength at the relevant operating temperatures, but axial low thermal conductivity, protecting the valve actuator for the extreme heat of the engine operation. The PSI-led team includes experts in design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of high temperature rocket engine components as well as the industrial partner needed to transition the innovation into flight systems. During the proposed Phase I, the team will demonstrate feasibility through a regime of design and testing. Future work will fabricate flight-like components and test them in existing ground systems, paving the way for inclusion in operational system designs. Approved for Public Release | 22-MDA-11215 (27 Jul 22)