SBIR/STTR Award attributes
The scramjet engine is the key propulsion technology for enabling hypersonic flight systems. Its components are subjected to high heat loads, requiring complex cooling structures to ensure material survivability. Current fabrication methods have issues with internal surface finish, minimum feature size, maximum part size, channel clogging and high scrap rates. These issues result in cost increases and lengthy schedule delays. To circumvent these problems, Voxel Innovations is proposing a more cost effective and time efficient two-piece manufacturing concept. PECM will be used to create cooling channels and novel joining features. The joining features that are enabled by PECM will be used to pair the process with Diffusion Bonding, creating a method suited for the fabrication of large parts with complex internal features while drastically reducing the incidence of scrap and rework, lowering the lead time for part production from months to weeks. During Phase 1, Voxel will design a heat exchanger panel that takes advantage of our fabrication method’s strengths, develop a versatile PECM tooling set for the fabrication of cooling channels, perform small scale panel diffusion bonding tests and fabricate a prototype panel for performance testing.
