ADVANCED BRAIDED STRUCTURES

BRAIDING IS A POTENTIALLY EFFICIENT COST-EFFECTIVE PROCESS FOR PRODUCING COMPOSITE STRUCTURES. BRAIDING CAN ACCOMMODATE LOCAL BUILD-UPS, PLY DROPOFFS, CONICAL SHAPES, AND QUICK ANGLE CHANGES. THE INTERLOCKING OF A BRAIDED STRUCTURE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE DAMAGE TOLERANCE. SIMPLE MODIFICATIONS TO BRAIDERS CAN ALLOW THE FORMATION OF FLAT FABRICS OR STRUCTURES AND THE FABRICATION OF TOROIDAL STRUCTURES IS POSSIBLE VIA SPLIT RING BRAIDING. THE FULL POTENTIAL OF BRAIDING AS A COMPOSITES MANUFACTURING PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN REALIZED. THIS IS MOSTLY DUE TO MACHINERY DESIGNED IN THE EARLY 1900S STILL BEING USED TODAY. PRIMITIVE CARRIER DESIGNS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE FIBERS SUCH AS HIGH MODULUS CARBON OR CERAMICS. THE NUMBER AND CAPACITY OF THE CARRIERS ALSO LIMITS THE SIZE OF THE STRUCTURE WHICH CAN BE BRAIDED EFFECTIVELY. FOSTER-MILLER PROPOSES TO DEVELOP NEW BRAIDING MACHINERY WHICH WILL PROVIDE TO BE EFFICIENT AND APPLICABLE TO A WIDE RANGE OF STRUCTURES NOT CURRENTLY POSSIBLE. WE WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS BY DEVELOPING AN ADVANCED BRAIDER CARRIER SYSTEM - A BREADBOARD MODEL OF WHICH WILL BE DEMONSTRATED IN PHASE I; AND BY APPLYING A MODULAR BRAIDER BASE CONCEPT THAT CAN BE ASSEMBLED INTO SEVERAL CONFIGURATIONS. DURING PHASE I WE WILL MEET WITH AIRFRAMERS TO DETERMINE COMPONENTS WHICH COULD BEST BENEFIT FROM AN ADVANCED BRAIDING SYSTEM. INITIAL CONTACTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT, BOEING HELICOPTERS, AND BELL HELICOPTERS TO SOLICIT TECHNICAL INPUT AND GUIDANCE FOR OUR PHASE I EFFORT. PHASE I EFFORTS WILL FEATURE AN ADVANCED BRAIDER CONCPET CAPABLE OF BRAIDING HIGH MODULUS FIBERS, TOW WIDTHS UP TO 1 IN. WIDE, AND FIBER CARRIERS WITH UP TO THREE DIFFERENT MATERIAL SYSTEMS AND OVER 6 LB OF FIBER.