Integrated Composite Design Alternatives to Beryllium for Advanced Interceptor Electro-Optics Structural Components

The missile defense Exoatmospheric interceptor Kill Vehicle (EKV) uses beryllium extensively in electronic, optical, and structural components to provide a high performance solution to meet weight, stiffness, thermal management, and other system requirements. Other advanced interceptor systems, such as the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) and Miniature Kill Vehicle (MKV), are also considering use of beryllium for structural components. Although beryllium provides high performance, it has cost and producibility issues related to its toxicity, availability, and fabrication long-lead time. No materials substitutions have yet been identified that can replace beryllium's performance. However, integrated composite designs are high performance substitutes for beryllium with lower cost and improved producibility. An integrated composite design approach has been demonstrated as an alternative to beryllium for the current EKV test bed configuration electronics unit (EU) housing and optical sensor sunshade (SS) cylindrical geometry structural configurations. Future EKV system upgrades, as well as new KEI and MKV systems, are expected to introduce more complex geometry configurations for electro-optics structural components that will result in even higher cost and less producible beryllium solutions. A program is proposed to develop and demonstrate an integrated composite design approach, using high performance graphite fiber-reinforced cyanate ester resin matrix composites and lightweight metallic materials, as an alternative to beryllium for advanced interceptor electro-optics structural components and complex geometry configurations. A Phase I program will demonstrate feasibility of the integrated composite design approach for advanced interceptor configuration for the EU housing and optical sensor SS components through design and analysis, fabrication of test articles, and conduct of materials properties testing. A Phase II program would then develop the integrated composite design approach and demonstrate performance for advanced interceptor full-scale EU housing and optical sensor SS components and configurations through design, fabrication, and thermal/structural tests.