A Low Cost Process for Producing Graphite Reinforced Cyanate Ester Composites for Spacecraft Thermal Management Applications

The objective of the proposed program is to demonstrate the feasibility of applying Cast Metal Composite's unique pressure infiltration process to the production of lightweight, dimensionally stable, high thermal conductivity, high stiffness cyanate ester resin matrix composites for spacecraft subsystems and advanced thermal management systems. The low cost pressure infiltration process will be combined with commercial technology for producing high thermal conductivity, high stiffness, low CTE, carbon-carbon composite preforms using low cost carbon fiber raw material. The resultant composite material will have a significantly lower cost and similar properties when compared to traditional carbon fiber reinforced composites produced using high cost carbon fibers. Cast Metal Composites will use its pressure infiltration process to produce 3 to 5 test coupon samples, nominally 3.000" diameter x 0.100" thick, using each of two low cost carbon-carbon preform material types supplied commercially and a low viscosity, liquid cyanate ester resin. The thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, and elastic modulus of the composite materials will be measured. The results will be compared to those predicted by applicable composite theory. A detailed final report will be submitted at the end of this Phase I effort.