SBIR-STTR Award

The innovation proposed is the development and characterization of a family of engineered-materials applicable to NASA?s Space Launch Initiative (SLI) and hypersonic aircraft development. Nanostructure and microporous morphologies will be optimized to provide materials with the high specific strength and low thermal conductivity required for multifunctional integrated thermal structures. Phase I deliverables will include thermal/mechanical test data, analytical models to predict material performance, and proof-of-concept panel test results. Reducing dry weight supports NASA?s SLI goal of lowering launch costs by 1-to-2 orders of magnitude. Thermal-structure integration will result in a significant weight reduction of propellant tanks, structure and thermal protection system. The critical component required is a low-thermal conductivity material to join the hot external skin to the cool structure or tank. Our solution is to combine microporous and nanostructure technologies to develop new materials that have the low thermal conductivity of foams but with significantly higher strength and damage tolerance. Phase II will be directed at designing and testing an integrated thermal-structure panel for a typical space launch or hypersonic vehicle application. The analytical models developed in Phase I will also be used to identify design solutions for a variety of other applications such as jet and rocket engines. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION The initial STTR focus is on developing technology to meet NASA?s need for efficient, light-weight structures for future vehicles. If this new material exhibits the characteristics we expect, the range of applications goes considerably beyond aerospace structures. There will be broad applicability to propulsion systems, ground-based gas turbines, heat exchangers, and various process furnaces. BTI has had discussions with Aeroflex Laboratories, who were interested in investigating the use of this new material for an in-orbit space propulsion system contract they are currently working on.

The innovation proposed is the development and characterization of a family of engineered-materials with initial application to NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) and hypersonic aircraft development. Nanostructured and microporous morphologies will be optimized to provide materials with high specific strength and low thermal conductivity required for multifunctional integrated thermal structures. Based on Phase I results, key research and development areas were identified for emphasis in Phase II. These include; the improvement of material processing techniques to achieve complete densification and compaction, expansion of the experimental test database to high temperatures, measurement of thermal shock resistance, determination of oxidation resistance, further variation of material parameters to improve mechanical properties, incorporation of other types of reinforcements such as platelets, fibers and cloth, and finally detailed mathematical modeling. NASA mission requirements will be used to define typical applications for these engineered ceramics. Prototypes will be built and tested. The developed material database will be used to evaluate application in a variety of industries that utilize high temperature processes. Industrial firms will be identified and contacted to establish appropriate business relationships for subsequent commercial production. Clear technical and business plans will be developed for Phase III, leading to a smooth transition to commercial production. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION(S): There are wide spread applications in industries requiring high temperature ceramic material for insulation, filters, mirrors and structure. This is enabled by the ability to polish the material to high reflectivity, to control the porosity from highly porous to helium tight, to vary the thermal conductivity by material selection and porosity and to optimize structural properties with fiber and nanomaterial reinforcements. Applications with these requirements include aircraft (structure and propulsion), power generation (heat exchangers and combustion liners), heat recovery (air preheaters and recuperators), waste incineration (burners and scrubbers), filtration (centrifuges and membranes), chemical processes (reformers) and optics (lasers and mirrors). Products suitable for NASA applications are high temperature thermal/structural subassemblies for Reusable Launch Vehicles, Planetary Entry Spacecraft, Hypersonic Vehicles and advanced ram, scram and rocket propulsion systems.