SBIR PHASE III RESEARCH PROJECT: LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION METHODS FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURES INTRODUCTION…

Public award description

SBIR PHASE III RESEARCH PROJECT: LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION METHODS FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURES INTRODUCTION THIS SBIR PHASE III IS A CONTINUATION OF THE PHASE I SBIR AWARDED IN 2007 TO NANOTECH LABS (NTL) TO DEVELOP A METHOD FOR PREPREGGING AND LAMINATING CARBON NANOTUBE BUCKYPAPERS AS PART OF TRADITIONAL WET LAYUP CARBON FIBER COMPOSITES TO ACHIEVE LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION (AIR FORCE CONTRACT FA8650-07-M-5044). BUCKYPAPERS ARE SIMILAR TO TRADITIONAL PAPER IN FABRICATION, LOOK, AND FEEL. HOWEVER, THEY ARE HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE PAPERS MADE FROM NANOTUBES WITH CONDUCTIVITIES IN THE 100 300 S/CM RANGE DEPENDING ON COMPOSITION, DENSITY, AND THE TYPE OF NANOTUBES USED IN THEIR FABRICATION. EPOXY RESINS DO NOT NORMALLY WET BUCKYPAPERS VERY WELL, BUT NTL HAS DEVELOPED A PROCESS OF COMPATIBILIZING THE PAPER AND ADJUSTING THE PAPER DENSITY TO ALLOW RESIN IMPREGNATION. A PHASE II EFFORT WAS AWARDED IN JULY, 2008 (AIR FORCE CONTRACT FA8650-08-C-5011) ENTITLED HIGH CONDUCTIVITY NANOSCALE MODIFICATION FOR ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ORGANIC MATRIX COMPOSITES , NTL PROPOSES TO EVALUATE BUCKY PREPREG CONDUCTIVITY, DENSITY, AND THICKNESS AGAINST COTS SOLUTIONS FOR COST, LSP PERFORMANCE, REPAIR ABILITY, AND CORROSION RESISTANCE. THEY WILL ALSO DEVELOP A SACRIFICIAL THERMALLY RESPONSIVE DEBONDING LAYER OR DEPONDING ADDITIVES TO DEPOND/REMOVE THE PAINT IN THE EVENT OF A STRIKE. NTL HAS THE RESOURCES TO PERFORM BOTH A PHASE 2 AND 3 SBIRS CONSECUTIVELY. SCOPE THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SBIR PHASE III IS TO SUPPLY NASA LARC COMPOSITE TEST PANELS REPRESENTATIVE OF ACTUAL AIRCRAFT SKINS USED IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION IN MECHANICAL DESIGN, MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE, AND LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION MATERIALS. THE TEST PANELS SHALL BE FABRICATED BY THE CONTRACTOR AND SUPPLIED TO NASA LARC FOR MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTY EVALUATIONS THROUGH RESEARCH BEING SUPPORTED BY THE AVIATION SAFETY PROGRAMS INTEGRATED VEHICLE HEALTH MANAGEMENT (IVHM) AND AIRCRAFT AGEING AND DURABILITY (AAD) PROJECTS. THE NTL CARBON NANOTUBE LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION METHOD WILL BE ONE OF 4 DIFFERENT LIGHTNING STRIKE METHODS EVALUATED IN THE NASA STUDY AND WILL REQUIRE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE CARBON NANOTUBE TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE INTEGRATED INTO A LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION METHOD FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURES. THIS RESEARCH IS ALSO IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION RESEARCH BEING CONDUCTED AT THE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB (AFRL) WHICH FUNDED THE PHASE 1 & 2 SBIRS. AN INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT IS BEING DEVELOPED WITH AFRL TO FURTHER LEVERAGE RESOURCES AND RESEARCH EFFORTS IN LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION METHODS ON COMPOSITE STRUCTURES. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS TASK 1 - THE CONTRACTOR SHALL MANUFACTURE AND DELIVER OUT OF AUTOCLAVE A TOTAL OF SIXTY-FOUR (64) COMPOSITE TEST PANELS. THIRTY-TWO (32) PANELS SHALL BE MANUFACTURED FROM UNIDIRECTIONAL COMPOSITE MATERIALS AND THIRTY-TWO (32) PANELS SHALL BE MANUFACTURED FROM WOVEN COMPOSITE MATERIALS MAKING UP THE TOTAL SIXTY-FOUR (64) PANELS. THE PANELS SHALL BE BUILT IN 14 X 14 SQUARES WITH COPPER MESH EXPOSED EDGES AROUND THE 4 PERIMETERS TO FACILITATE ELECTRICAL GROUNDING. A TOTAL OF FOUR DIFFERENT LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION (LSP) CONDUCTIVE SKINS SHALL BE FABRICATED WHICH REPRESENT EXISTING AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. THE 4 DIFFERENT LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION CONDUCTIVE SKINS INCLUDE COPPER MESH, CARBON NANOTUBE BUCKY PREPREG, GRAPHITE PLATELET AND MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES (MWCNTS) DECORATED WITH SILVER PARTICLES OF NANOMETER DIMENSIONS DISTRIBUTED IN A POLYMER MATRIX. ONLY ONE LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION CONDUCTIVE SKIN MATERIAL SHALL BE FABRICATED INTO A TEST PANEL. THE LIGHTNING STRIKE PROTECTION CONDUCTIVE SKIN SHALL BE FABRICATED AS A SURFACE LAYER AS PART OF THE TEST PANELS, AS INDICATED IN THE TABLE BELOW. ALL 32 PANELS FABRICATED FROM THE UNIDIRECTIONAL COMPOSITE SHALL BE IDENTICAL IN FABRICATION AND MATERIAL EXCEPT FOR THE 4 DIFFERE