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. Similarly, capacitive components could be used to replace a portion of vehicle armor. TPL proposes development of a structural, high energy density capacitor for electromagnetic weapons systems by applying a novel composite dielectric technology to an innovative capacitor design. TPL's high strength/stiffness nano-composite dielectric will be molded into an electrode structure (stainless steel wire mesh) that serves as structural reinforcement. The composite matrix will serve an energy storage and structural function while the electrode mesh will serve a current delivery and structural function. Laboratory and sub-scale capacitor models will be designed, fabricated and evaluated. The designs will be specific to the Army's electromagnetic weapons requirements. Evaluation will include electrical performance, structural performance and delivered energy density.