Lightweight, Low-Cost Ceramic Matrix Composite Combustion Chambers for DACS

In this project, Ultramet will design, build, and hot-fire test a lightweight, low-cost, high-temperature 5-lbf combustion chamber. The system will be designed for the AF-315 family of monopropellants, which have specific impulse values ranging from 263 to 288 sec, and the combustion chamber material will be based on Ultramet’s proven zirconium-silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite (CMC) technology. This material system allows the zirconium carbide-to-silicon carbide ratio in the matrix to be adjusted, thus enabling the material to be optimized for different combustion environments. To date, Ultramet CMC chambers have been hot-fire tested with both O2/H2 (flame temperature of ~3000°C) and AF-315e. Ultramet will work closely with a leading supplier of spacecraft propulsion systems that will provide the chamber design and perform hot-fire testing with AF-315e. The fabrication process and the survivability of the material system will be demonstrated in Phase I. Phase II will include longer duration testing of the Phase I chamber to quantify life margin with respect to MDA mission requirements, and it will include design, fabrication, and testing of a chamber in the 100-lbf thrust class suitable for high accelerations and high-velocity change applications. It is anticipated that Phase II chambers will be tested with an AF-315 blend (for MDA applications) and with Earth-storable bipropellants (for commercial applications).