Innovative Polymeric Materials and Processes for Reducing Missile Component Costs

The use of high temperature polymers and out-of-the-autoclave manufacturing processes offer the potential to enhance structural performance and reduce cost in Standard Missile aerodynamic control surfaces. Success in the Standard Missile can likely beleveraged in other MDA and DOD missile system airframe components. The Phase I program will develop lightweight high temperature polymer, carbon foam sandwich design concepts that will be analytically validated based on requirements and a design envelopefor the Standard Missile. Flat panels sandwich test articles will be fabricated and tested to confirm projected mechanical properties. A successful Phase I will lead to a Phase II program that will fabricate and qualify prototype composite controlsurfaces. The Phase I program will introduce the following innovations: demonstration of high temperature polymer composites, development of a control surface design methodology for composites, demonstration of composite sandwich structures for hightemperature applications, and demonstration of out-of-the-autoclave manufacturing of high temperature polymers. Metallic control surfaces such as inconel and titanium are heavy, are expensive to machine, and typically are flutter critical near the end offlight when aerodynamic heating has reduced the modulus properties substantially. Sandwich with polymer composites such as carbon fiber reinforced phthalonitriles facesheets carbon foam cores will weigh less than 50 percent of the baseline metals, can benet shape fabricated at eighty percent of the metal parts, and can be tailored to substantially enhance the flutter performance compared to metals. In addition, the lighter weight compositese will enable lower cost control surface hinges to be used in theairframe. The lighter weight control surfaces aft of the missile center of gravity will have a profound beneficial influence on the aerodynamic performance of the missile and reduce the need for ballast.