MATERIALS RESEARCH & DESIGN INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: One of the main drivers in the design of nozzles for advanced air-to-air missiles deals wi

Description

One of the main drivers in the design of nozzles for advanced air-to-air missiles deals with erosion caused by combustion gases. Erosion can happen by melting/sublimation, oxidation and mechanical abrasion depending on the nature of the propellant. Current de Laval nozzles for air-to-air missile applications consist primarily of structural, thermally insulating and erosion resistant materials in order to handle the various thermal and chemical environments present in the system. Within the proposed Phase I effort, Materials Research & Design (MR & D) will investigate innovative methods for improving the erosion resistance of carbon-carbon (C-C) composites through a design and analysis trade study coupled with small-scale motor testing to validate the erosion resistance of the proposed concept. The successful completion of the proposed program will result in the development of a single material nozzle design. Aside from the costs associated with the bulk materials, the development of a single material design will lead to further cost savings associated with machining, fabrication, assembly and inspection tasks which will be required for more complex designs.