Damage Tolerant Sandwich Composite Structures for Turbine Engine Components

A new capability for building lightweight, damage-tolerant, and affordable composite sandwich structures for turbine engine components will be developed. The new sandwich composites proposed herein will be produced with an innovative composite core material (TYCOR), braided fabrics for the facings, and Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) process. The combination of these three elements will lead to an integrated composite sandwich panel that is affordable and offers improved damage tolerance compared to traditional composites. This Phase I SBIR program will comprise several technical tasks involving sandwich panel design and optimization for ballistic impact performance, mechanical testing of flat panels, VARTM molding of a full case and half case, ballistic testing of flat panels and cases, fabrication and mechanical testing of attachment flange sub-elements, and a material and process cost analysis. GE Aircraft will serve as a key partner on the program. The goal is to demonstrate that TYCOR composite panels meet the structural, manufacturing, and affordability requirements for primary, complex-shaped turbine engine components, while offering adequate damage tolerance and reduced weight compared to metallic components.