Innovative Material Design and Manufacturing Development for a Lightweight, Low-Cost, Highly Survivable Drive Shaft

Composite structures have provided significant mass savings and total O&M cost savings when compared with traditional metallic solutions for key primary and secondary aerospace structures in both commercial and DoD related applications. On a pure specific strength and stiffness standpoint, intermediate modulus carbon reinforced polymer matrix composites have consistently shown savings approaching 40% when compared to comparable metallic designs. With the simultaneous application of both hot/wet environments, total affordability, and durability under conventional ballistic threats, much of the gain realized by the use of composites is lost to parasitic mass in the armoring solution. V System Composites’ personnel experience with armor hardening of vehicles against full velocity ball and AP 7.62 and 12.7 mm rounds have helped us tie our analytical understanding of dynamic ballistic impact with the materials technology used to successfully defeat such threats with optimum mass. However, in this effort, the manufacturer has shared with us several competing requirements that require a blended approach to a producible drop-in solution meeting CH-53K ballistic, performance, and cost criteria. VSC proposes to combine an robust materials technology effort, combining high through-thickness strength braided or 3-D woven preforms infused with novel D5 resin as both a structural matrix as well as a high energy absorption element of the total hardening solution, and combining that with optimal distribution of remaining weight bogie that successfully defeats the ballistic threat while maintaining some of the total mass savings of a composites design solution.