Advanced Divert and Attitude Control System Materials for Liquid/Gel DACS Systems

Fiber Materials Inc. (FMI) teamed with Aerojet proposes to investigate and demonstrate novel composite material concepts and approaches for higher performance liquid/gel divert and attitude control (DACS) system components. This program will investigatethe feasibility and demonstrate the application of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C-SiC) composite material technology to the GMD EKV thrust chamber. This innovation will transition current columbium (niobium) metal construction technology to aceramic composite with pressure capability of 1000 lbf which is greater than the current state of the art design. This added thrust capability will enable higher performance DACS and is applicable to other interceptor systems such as THAAD. The materialwill be engineered for use with systems operating in the 3700¿F temperature regime. Preliminary conceptual design and thermal/stress assessments will be accomplished in Phase I. The Phase I analyses will be used as a basis for varying carbon fiberperform weave design and/or process parameters as required to meet the operational end use requirements. In Phase II, final design analysis activities will support thrust chamber body fabrication both for characterization and hot gas demonstration.During Phase II, joining, attachment, and insulation methods defined during Phase I will also be demonstrated. The direct benefit will be the development of durable, high performance, lighter weight, lower cost composites for utilization with advanceddivert and attitude control systems and interceptor systems. These materials will be directly transferable to commercial and NASA launch vehicles.