Functionally Reinforced Nanocomposite for Structural High Energy Density Capacitors

Future electromagnetic armor and gun systems will rely on large quantities of capacitive pulse power. At present, these capacitors represent a significant contribution to size and weight on mobile platforms, limiting their deploy-ability and strategic responsiveness. One method of minimizing mass and volume is to utilize capacitors as structural components. Significant savings could be achieved with capacitors engineered to carry structural loads so that vehicle structural components could be replaced with load-bearing, capacitive elements. TPL proposes the Phase II development of a structural, high energy density capacitor for electromagnetic weapons systems by applying a novel composite dielectric technology to an innovative capacitor design. The successful Phase I effort established the necessary groundwork for the proposed program. Materials and processes were identified and performance validated relative to the Army’s expectations for a structural capacitor. The objective of the Phase II program will be a full-scale demonstration of the structural capacitor technology for EM power applications. Process development will be performed on subscale capacitors in effort to optimize and confirm all electrical and mechanical characteristics. Fabrication processes will be scaled to provide a performance demonstration on 10 kJ prototypes.