Next Generation of Agile Self-Healing Strategically Tuned Resilient Composites (NASSTIC)

NextGen Aeronautics, a company known for morphing structures development and has core competency in multifunctional structures proposes a novel combination of load carrying morphing and self-healing composite structures. For the proposed research on highly resilient, damage tolerant, fatigue resistant self-healing morphing structures, NextGen team's strength lies in the related prior work, in-depth understanding of morphing and tuned compliant structures, self-healing polymers, and advanced composites as well as an established history transferring R&D efforts into higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) for integration onto military platforms. NextGen will team with Dr. Ajit Mal of UCLA to incorporate his work on thermally re-mendable cross-linked polymer materials. We will define a morphing and self-healing structural concept with traceability to a system level application in Phase I. We will demonstrate the feasibility of concept by coupon level testing and a component level testing in Phases I and II, respectively. Feasibility of the concept including energy conversion efficiency, material and manufacturing costs, self healing requirements and reliability of the structure. We will also address technology transition issues such as cost benefit analysis, suitability of manufacturing process for production, as well as cost/yield analysis.