MATERIALS SCIENCES LLC STTR Phase I Award, November 2022

Carbon-Carbon (C-C) composites have a thermal protection systems (TPS) pedigree for next generation hypersonic flight systems due their retention of mechanical properties at temperatures exceeding 2,000°C. Continued research and development on C-C composites is required to increase the national capability, capacity, and speed of delivery for C-C composite materials. Innovative low-cost C-C composite production methods, e.g., innovative rapid densification methods, automated weaving techniques, and/or additive manufacturing processes, have the potential to reduce manufacturing time and associated costs; however, extensive demonstration of the ability to produce consistent quality is required. Additionally, a new property database must be generated before a new C-C process or material is to be used on hypersonic flight system. To improve properties, increase process repeatability, reduce manufacturing and qualification costs, decrease manufacturing times, an improved understanding and model of the manufacturing processes used to produce C-C composites is needed. The fundamental premise for the proposed work is that understanding the interrelationship between processing parameters and resulting material properties is the key to reducing the time (cost). To overcome these challenges, Materials Sciences LLC, in partnership with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University (WSU), propose the development and demonstration of a methodology to link C-C process models to MSC’s material modeling framework to enable prediction of the “as-built” (in-situ materials state) performance of a standardized subscale component. We believe that demonstration of this fundamental understanding will lay the foundation for a methodology to assess the robustness of new low-cost C-C materials and processes. Approved for Public Release | 22-MDA-11339 (13 Dec 22)