PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF151-192

Description

ABSTRACT: The PSI Team will develop highly innovative hypersonic vehicle ceramic matrix composite (CMC) structures to significantly advance the state-of-the-art aeroshells that meet the flight requirements of hypersonic vehicles currently under design. The PSI focus is to mature and demonstrate the technologies necessary to manufacture a fully integrated, structurally efficient loadbearing, cost competitive aeroshells. Z-pinning will be used during composite lay-up and cure to locally increase interlaminar strength and create fully integral stiffeners and sub-structure attachment points. Localized regions will have fully integrated, self-healing, compositionally graded, non-silicon containing protective oxide surfaces capable of withstanding higher temperatures than the silicon containing SiC matrices. Novel processing technology will form these tempered regions of the aeroshell that will operate with zero erosion at temperatures well above 3000oF. The PSI production process minimizes the use of process tooling and eliminates the expensive and time consuming machining of dense ceramics. The CMC technology will provide designers the ability to locally change vehicle geometry for higher temperature operation, leading to significant improvements in vehicle performance. This is an important aspect of the PSI approach as cost is a major vehicle design driver and a paramount discriminator amongst the OEMs. BENEFIT: Applications for low cost high temperature aeroshell materials include Department of Defense hypersonic boost-glide vehicles for reconnaissance or weapons systems as well as rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) vehicles for orbital access. Successful development of a low cost manufacturing process for high temperature composite materials and large structures based on silicon carbide will also enable cost effective construction of silicon carbide heat exchangers for aggressive chemical processing and waste treatment. Heat exchanger products offer the largest sustainable market opportunity of $25 million/year.