Automated Manufacturing of Composite Materials including Armament Applications

Automated fiber placement (AFP) of thermoplastic (TP) composite jackets around large caliber gun barrels and railgun cores has enabled a dramatic increase in lethality while meeting aggressive maneuver requirements. Automated Dynamics has played a central role in the development of TP AFP technology and its use for this application. There is a continuing need to improve safety, temperature capability and productivity of existing technology. This project will apply existing TP AFP technology using metal matrix composites (MMC) for dramatic increase in temperature capability to meet the Army’s aggressive targets. There are significant problems to be addressed to hit these targets including safety, higher power input and weld contamination issues. Unique MMC materials, advanced heating technologies and innovative processing will be used to achieve a quantum leap in process capabilities for composite jackets around large caliber gun barrels, railguns & many other military and commercial applications. The proposed effort will build on work in Phase I that demonstrated capabilities. Improvements will be made in heating technologies, processing, and materials. Testing will be performed on stub tubes and a full scale test article will be fabricated using the down-selected process.