SBIR-STTR Award

Current towlines for towed aircraft decoys are experiencing catastrophic failures due to the extreme temperatures (> 650 C) produced from the afterburners during high Angle of Attack (AOA) maneuvers. The hot exhaust leads to towline separation. Additionally, the electrical components within the decoy are susceptible to failure due to the conducting wire insulation breakdown. The goal of this program is to develop a novel polymer derived ceramic (PDC) coating that will act as a thermal protection barrier. NanoSonic shall utilize a combination of our polyorganosiloxanes and polysilazanes, which have proven to survive temperatures >650C, in combination with ceramic nanoparticles such as aluminum nitride and yttrium silicate. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shall be used herein to downselect polymer molecular weight and ceramic consituent for optimal thermal stability and mechanical durability at temperatures reaching 1000C. A design of experiments shall be carried out for the down selection process of optimized PDC formulations for ablative and tensile testing of PDC coated reinforcement members. The PDC formulation that exhibits the top overall thermo-oxidative durability and tensile strengths after being exposed to similar heat experienced during AOA maneuvers will be used for prototype fabrication.

Benefit:
The main benefit of NanoSonics advanced, heat tolerant towlines is the prevention of decoy separation and operational failure. As a result, Navy pilots have a better chance of successfully using AOA maneuvers with deployed decoys for attacking enemies. Other potential applicable areas that will benefit from the creation of an innovative, high temperature, and flexible PDC coating include underwater cables requiring insulation that can survive high voltages, thermal protection barriers for aerospace applications, rocket propulsion, military vehicles interiors, and numerous others. If full potential is achieved during Phase I, NanoSonic intends to be the sole manufacturer of the PDC coating for HybridSil Advanced, Heat Tolerant Towlines with successful transitions to Phase II and Phase III.

Keywords:
thermo-oxidative durability, thermo-oxidative durability, HybridSil, coating, polymer derived ceramic

Currently, towlines for towed aircraft decoys are experiencing catastrophic failures due to the extreme temperatures produced from the afterburners during high Angle of Attack (AOA) maneuvers. The hot exhaust produces temperatures (>650C) that cause current reinforcing members to thermally-oxidize and degrade to the point of towline separation. Additionally, these high heats are leading to failure of the decoys electrical components as a result of the conducting wires insulation failure. During the Phase I NanoSonic was able to produce multiple prospect polymer derived ceramic coatings for towline components capable of withstanding temperatures exceeding 650C. These HybridSil PDC coatings included polyorganosiloxanes, polysilazanes, and a polysilazane-polyorganosiloxane combination that were filled with ceramic particles including yttrium stabilized zirconium, boron carbide, and boron nitride. For the Phase II, NanoSonic intends on furthering this research by down selecting a final coating. To complete this objective, NanoSonic will investigate adhesion and spray coating ability in relation to New England Wire Technologies (NEWT) downstream spray coating process. Furthermore, NanoSonic will demonstrate scale-up of HybridSil PDC, conduct shelf-life studies, optimize cable design with NEWT, and produce 4500 ft of prototype towline.

Benefit:
The main benefit of NanoSonics advanced, heat tolerant towlines is the prevention of decoy separation and operational failure. As a result, Navy pilots have a better chance of successfully using AOA maneuvers with deployed decoys for attacking enemies. Other potential applicable areas that will benefit from the creation of an innovative, high temperature, and flexible PDC coating include underwater cables requiring insulation that can survive high voltages, thermal protection barriers for aerospace applications, rocket propulsion, military vehicles interiors, engines, and furnaces. Considering the success of the Phase I, NanoSonic can start considering realistic commercialization goals for these specific applications. Being the sole producer of HybridSil PDC, NanoSonic intends on being a prominent player in the thermal spray coatings, military radar, and fiber optics markets.

Keywords:
Curing, Prototype, HybridSil PDC, adhesion, Optimization, Scale-up, Spray coating, shelf-life