Solid Rocket Motor Nozzles Made From Tantalum Carbide Continuous Fiber Composites for Boost Applications

In this proposed Air Force Phase I SBIR Program, MATECH/GSM seeks to develop woven TaC ceramic fiber reinforced TaC matrix CMCs for aluminized propellant solid rocket motors (SRMs). An example system that could benefit from TaC/TaC CMCs is the Quad Axial Pintle motor being developed by our partner AEROJET. Aluminized propellant SRMs constitute the most eroding environment when compared to non-aluminized SRMs and liquid boost motors. It has been demonstrated that the erosion rate of TaC is significantly less that HfC and carbon under comparable aluminized propellant SRM conditions. Of all the refractory metal carbide systems, TaC holds the most promise for the unique conditions of aluminized propellant SRMs. In this AF Phase I SBIR program, MATECH/GSM proposes to develop TaC structural ceramic fibers via melt-spinning thermoplastic preceramic polymers (as is done in the fabrication of CG-Nicalon, Hi-Nicalon, and Sylramic SiC-based fibers) in order to achieve the >1.0 GPa strength requirement for structural CMC nozzle fabrication.