Low Cost Polybenzoxazine Prepreg for Shipboard Radomes

Radomes are key components of future Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) systems and are aboard almost every surface vessel in the Navy. These structures provide protection for the radar face, but the long-term environmental instability of existing radome materials can interfere with the transmission and reception of radar signals. In particular, changes in temperature, moisture absorption, and incident radiation (RF, UV, IR, etc.) can all induce changes into the radome and thereby decrease the performance of the radar system. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing radomes using low-cost benzoxazine materials. Benzoxazines exhibit good moisture resistance and thermal stability as compared to the epoxies and vinyl esters currently used in radome construction. The results of this work are expected to provide the Navy with a cost-effective means of improving radome performance, while also extending the operational lifetime of these components.