CALCIUM-ZIRCONIUM-PHOSPHATES FOR SPACE-BORNE OPTICAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

NEW MATERIALS ARE NEEDED FOR SPACE-BORNE PRECISION OPTICAL COMPONENTS AND THERMO-MECHANICALLY STABLE, LARGE LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES. THE OPPRTUNITY EXISTS FOR FABRICATING BOTH OPTICAL COMPONENTS AND SUPPORT-ING STRUCTURES WITH MATERIALS OF THE SAME CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. CALCIUM-ZIRCONIUM-PHOSPHATE (CZP) CERAMICS ARE BEING EXPLORED FOR POSSIBLE USE IN THE FABRICATION OF SPACE-BORNE STRUCTURAL AS WELL AS OPTICAL COMPONENTS FOR CONSTRUCTING THERMALLY INVARIANT WEAPON SUPPORTASSEMBLIES. COMPOSITIONS IN THIS FAMILY OF MATERIALS CAN BE SPECIFICALLY FORMULATED TO YIELD NEAR-ZERO THERMAL EXPANSION IN THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT. THESE MATERIALS ARE CHEMICALLY STABLE, MECHANICALLY CRACK-FREE, STRONG AND TOUGH AND THERMALLY INVARIANT. NEAR-NET SHAPE AND SIZE FABRICATION OF CZP CERAMICS FOR PRECISION OPTICAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS IS BEING DEMONSTRATED. THERMO-MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF CZP OPTICAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS ARE BEING DEFINED FOR GIVEN THERMO-MECHANICAL LOADS. SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE OF CZP CERAMICS IN EXPECTED TO BE SUPERIOR TO CURRENTLY USED MATERIALS WITH REGARDS TO THERMO-MECHANICAL STABILITY, STRUCTURAL DAMPING/JITTER AND MECHANICAL INTEGRITY. WEAPON TRACKING, POINTING, TARGETING AND RETARGETING CAPABILITIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE SUPERIOR DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF A THERMAL MISMATCH BETWEEN THE PRECISION OPTICS AND THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURES.