Automated fiber placement machine laying up extruded ceramic-encased fiber tows from Advanced Ceramics Research

An innovative, low-cost, rapid-prototyping technology has been used to produce a Novel composite material that will enable the fabrication of a new generation of low-cost propulsion components for NASA and DOD applications

INNOVATION

Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.Tucson, AZ

SmallBusinessTechnology TRansfer

GOVERNMENT/SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SBIR 2000 Phase 11 awarded for development of Polar Lay-up C/SiC blisk

using the C3 process (NASA8-01016).

CMCs fabricated with the C3 process include:integrated ceramic injector and CMC thrusters bladed disks, ducts, cryogenic tanks nozzles, thermal protection hot structure, and steering and thrust control vanes.

C/ZrC has the potential to enable reusable radiation-cooled thrust chambers

Marshall Space Flight CenterSubtopic: 3.04, Lightweight Engine ComponentsMarch 2001

Rapid Prototyping of Continuous-Fiber-Reinforced CeramicMatrix Composites

ACCOMPLISHMENTS A new, flexible, rapid, low-cost process has been developed for fabricating

ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Fabrication costs are reduced by more that an order of magnitude time reduced by approximately a factor of six for a square, thin plate of material

The continuous composite co-extrusion (C3) process has been demonstrated with first-generation carbon-fiber-reinforced zirconium carbide matrix composites (C/ZrC).

Rapid and economical, C3 offers drastic improvements over current state-of-the-art processes (e.g., chemical vapor infiltration and polymer impregnation and pyrolysis) used to fabricate ceramic matrix composites.

Reusable C/ZrC has the potential to withstand erosive environments at temperatures in excess of 2500ºF.

Program objectives include:development of the fiber interface coating; material properties generation; production and evaluation of prototype parts; production of full scale components to be delivered at the end of the program.

COMMERCIALIZATION Patent filed January 2001: MSFC-315497-1 Teaming with several strong commercial partners for application of this

technology to the aerospace and energy industries. Will provide components for testing to commercial customers concurrently

with the fabrication of NASA’s sub-scale and full scale parts. Develop other material compositions and components with the highly

flexible C3 process. MSFC Contacts: Tom Knight; 256-544-5353 MSFC Tech. POC: Mike Effinger; 256-544-5637 ARC Contact: Dr. Ranji Vaidyanthan, 520-573-63001996 Phase I; NAS8-00084; 1999 Phase II, NAS8-00192