Advanced Sabot System Design

Simulations, LLC, a privately held small-business engineering company, and team members DR Technologies and their wholly-owned subsidiary V-System Composites, 3TEX, and Douglas J. Elder propose to implement the lessons learned in Phase I SBIR N08-053, Contract N6553B-OB-M-0094, and design and fabricate a lightweight, high-strength Advanced Sabot System Design (ASSD) with a parasitic mass of 25% or less. Simulations will leverage the Phase I feasibility work and develop innovative methods to 3D braid composite fiber bundles, enhance existing resin infusion transfer processes, update the industry as-manufactured empirical composite database, and analytically simulate the sabot design structurally using the seasoned finite element preprocessor code FATE©, custom written for Integrated Launch Packages (ILP). Candidate material coupons will be fabricated to gain empirical properties, feature prototype articles will be fabricated to develop the 3D braiding and infusion processes, and the finite element analysis models will be updated with empirical properties for precision fidelity results. The Simulations Team is thoroughly experienced in electromagnetic launcher technology, and has a career commitment to advancing this critical structural component with leading edge composite material, all in effort to achieve the lowest known parasitic mass.