Materials Sciences LLC SBIR Phase I Award, April 2021

Hybrid fabrication methods, such as overmolding, offer the potential to combine the continuous fiber components and injection molded components into a single structure to retain cost and performance benefits offered by each material system. Although several existing hybrid material systems/processes have been demonstrated and are commercially available, but wide spread implementation is still hindered due to sub-optimal design tailoring or lack of material characterization for assurance in long term use. Hence, a strategy for characterizing critical processing parameters and delivered strengths necessary for design and analysis of aircraft and aviation structures is needed. This program is aimed at developing a new line of low-cost, lightweight, high-performance over-molded composite systems to serve as brackets, connectors, or housings in aviation applications. Key distinctions between this line of overmolded material systems compared to existing overmolded systems are: (1) Use of both constituent thermoplastics and thermosets that are in use or will be qualified for rapid transition, and (2) Use of advanced interface materials and innovative mechanical lock designs to optimize bond strength at the interface. Target benefits of the proposed overmolded system and associated components are: 30% lower cost over traditional composites; 50% lower costs and 50% lower weight over metals.