Enhanced Spinel Domes

Technology Assessment and Transfer demonstrated the feasibility of a pressureless sintering approach for fabricating transparent, hemispherical dome blanks for the Joint Common Missile (JCM) during the Phase 1 SBIR program. Pressureless sintering is the most attractive method for achieving the low cost goals of the high volume JCM production schedule. The proposed Phase II effort is designed to develop reliable sources of high purity, commercial spinel powder and refine powder preparation and blending, cold isostatic pressing, sintering and HIPing steps. Subsequent optical property, strength and erosion resistant measurements will be correlated with microstructures (average grain size and grain size distributions) and associated processing conditions in order to arrive at the optimal tradeoffs between properties and processing protocols. Strength reliability measurements, a scale-up production trial and quality control procedures are proposed as option task.