Reaction bonded (RB) SiC and B4C offer high specific stiffness (modulus/density) comparable to beryllium (Be) and higher thermal stability (thermal conductivity/CTE) than Be. However, these materials have low fracture toughness (4 MPa m1/2 compared to 8-10 for Be) and hence have not been considered viable Be-replacement materials for the MDA systems such as the EKV, ABL, etc. M Cubed has demonstrated innovative approach to increase the fracture toughness of RB SiC by 50% to 6 MPa m1/2. In this Phase I, M Cubed will use this innovative approach to further increase the toughness of SiC and B4C through microstructural tailoring to make them competitive with beryllium. In addition, a current production component on the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) platform will be fabricated as a demonstration component in the Phase I. In the follow-on Phase II program, the manufacturing technology will be further refined and scaled up. Multiple replicas of the EKV component will be fabricated and characterized to fully develop this component.
