Innovative Manufacturing Processes - THAAD Midbody & Booster TPS Fabrication

Fiber Materials, Inc. (FMI), in partnership with Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC), proposes to develop innovative, reduced weight and cost, thermal protection systems for the THAAD mid-body and booster based on the placed fiber fabrication process. Placed fiber is a manufacturing process in which fiber and resin is sprayed to form a material that can substitute for a prepregged cloth, thereby eliminating the fabrication steps required to weave the cloth and coat the cloth with the prepreg resin. The placed fiber process has been demonstrated to produce carbon phenolic and quartz phenolic tape configurations. Carbon phenolic placed fiber tape materials have been utilized to construct simulated Trident reentry body heat shields that have been arc-jet tested with satisfactory results. In this proposal, FMI recommends further developing the placed fiber process for application to the light weight THAAD silica phenolic mid-body and booster thermal protection system and to investigate the ability of the placed fiber process to incorporate lightning and electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection.