SPECIAL AEROSPACE SERVICES — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N172-115

Description

Flares are commonly used in the defense industry as light utilizing functionally-graded energetic materials for airborne expendable countermeasure applications. However, current flare production processes are rudimentary because they limit design flexibility and incur significant start up and maintenance costs due to low annual production volume. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a superior alternative to traditional flare casting methods because it is production-volume independent and allows control over mesoscale geometry with multiple energetic materials. SAS has been internally conducting State-of-the-Art advanced energetics AM research since 2015 and has used energetic feedstock to successfully 3D print ammonium perchlorate composite propellant solid rocket motors. During Phase I SAS will expand its energetics AM capabilities to allow 3D printing of 25g flare pellets using at least three different energetic materials with unique electromagnetic signatures. The Phase I Option program incorporates flare modeling software development and hot-fire testing and results analysis of 3D printed flares. Johns Hopkins University Energetics Research Group has been enlisted to provide energetic material research support and structural characterization of the 3D printed flare grains.