SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Phase I technical work will be focused on feasibility demonstrations for new concepts in materials and advanced manufacturing spanning target applications of interest to DARPA (inductors, transformers, and motors). To reduce program risk while ensuring aggressive progress towards required metrics, two material and manufacturing pathways will be pursued by university partners of CorePower Magnetics at laboratory scale. Preliminary component designs will be pursued in parallel to inform selection of the final prototype proposed for Phase II efforts. Designs will consider existing core material properties from established and patented MANC alloys and in-line manufacturing methods as well as projections of future attainable properties based upon advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to be demonstrated by program end. Technical designs and specifications will be refined based upon application and market perspective provided by industrial partners with interests spanning the DOD mission space, including Raytheon Technologies, Tagore Technologies, and Inductive Ventures. The specific materials and manufacturing pathways to be explored are: Pathway #1: Metal Amorphous Nanocomposite (MANC) Alloys and In-Line Manufacturing Laboratory research will be conducted at Carnegie Mellon University laboratories, and the objective of this proposed technology pathway will target improvements in performance of emerging MANC alloy systems previously patented by CMU and licensed by CorePower Magnetics through an exclusive licensing arrangement. Targeted electrical switching frequencies of new magnetics will span ~1-10kHz for next generation high speed motors, and ~50kHz-100kHz for emerging transformers and inductors. To achieve desired performance at high switching frequencies, various pathways will be explored for effective ribbon thickness reduction in addition to alloying modifications to increase resistivity of the intergranular amorphous phase. Pathway #2: Ferrite Nanocomposite Based Soft Magnetics and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory research will be conducted at University of Pittsburgh laboratories, and the objective of this proposed technology pathway will target research and development of new ferrite based nanocomposite systems through self-assembly processes within the ferrite at the nm-scale, ultimately expected to be capable of operating at unprecedented combinations of switching frequency and induction levels. Experimental efforts will be guided by targeted thermodynamic calculations to yield improved understanding of thermodynamic and kinetic factors dictating ferrite-based nanocomposite microstructure formation and evolution. Target applications will be focused on switching frequencies > ~50kHz and approaching MHz-range for next generation transformers and inductors, with additional objective of demonstrating compatibility with additive manufacturing techniques to enable spatially tuned magnetic properties of components.
