SBIR-STTR Award

In an effort to enhance the capabilities and meet the operational demands of the 21st century warfighter, composite material systems have been more widely inserted into Todays Fleet. The Navy is now looking for a lightweight honeycomb core filler for repairs with a short, room-temperature cure to improve repair and maintenance methods in order maximize the life of these high-performance composite components and structures. Critical performance targets are a density of 0.5g/cm3 or less and a 1 hour cure to sanding. Materials Sciences LLC proposes to develop a low density, quick cure honeycomb filler that will enable repairs to be completed without special equipment at room temperature and reach full cure at a fraction of the current cure time. Extensive knowledge of formulation and wide range of repair experience reduce technical risk for this unique formulation which will be designed for universal application method and low cost.

Benefit:
The product resulting from this program is a low-density honeycomb filler that is curable in a wide range of ambient temperatures. The repair requires minimal equipment to complete and results in a restored component with excellent mechanical properties. The development of this filled matrix that is rapidly ready for sanding will provide the Navy with a durable, temperature resistant drop-in replacement for current repairs of sandwich composites. On a broader scale, the product will be an improvement on commercial repair fillers that are used in a number of industries including defense and aerospace, transportation, building and construction, and maritime.

Keywords:
Simplified Repair, Simplified Repair, Light weight, Low Cost, long shelf life, Honeycomb filler, Room temperature cure, Reduced Repair Time, Quick Cure

With the increased reliance on enhanced composite material system capabilities to meet the operational demands of the 21st century warfighter, there is a need to improve upon legacy repair and maintenance methods in order to maximize the life of these high-performance composite components and structures. Under this SBIR program, the Navy is seeking novel, light-weight, fast-curing filler materials with enhanced mechanical properties that will facilitate larger potting repairs. Streamlining these larger honeycomb repairs has the potential to return a significant cost-savings to the Navy while also positively impacting the OPTEMPO of the associated platforms. Under the Phase I program, Materials Sciences LLC (MSC) has worked to develop a low density, fast-curing honeycomb filler material that facilitates the execution of in-situ repairs quickly and efficiently without the need for special environmental or post-curing requirements The material formulations that have been developed by MSC under the Phase I program have achieved a TRL-4 through laboratory measurement of material characteristics as well as successful repair demonstration on a representative honeycomb sandwich structure. Under this Phase II SBIR program, MSC proposes to leverage Phase I successes to optimize a honeycomb filler material that meets NAVAIRs repair material qualification requirements while concurrently scaling up the processing infrastructure needed to meet fleet-wide distribution of this shelf-stable, rapid-cure repair solution.

Benefit:
The product resulting from this program is a low-density honeycomb filler that is curable in a wide range of ambient temperatures. The repair requires minimal equipment to complete and results in a restored component with excellent mechanical properties. The development of this filled matrix that is rapidly ready for sanding will provide the Navy with a durable, temperature resistant drop-in replacement for current repairs of sandwich composites. On a broader scale, the product will be an improvement on commercial repair fillers that are used in a number of industries including defense and aerospace, transportation, building and construction, and maritime.

Keywords:
Reduced Repair Time, Simplified Repair, Honeycomb filler, long shelf life, Light weight, Low Cost, Quick Cure, Room temperature cure