METAL COATING OF GLASS FIBERS

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN OF AN ECONOMIC PRODUCTION METHOD FOR COATING LONG LENGTHS OF 1 MIL GLASS FIBER WITH ALUMINUM IS PROPOSED, TOGETHER WITH AN EVALUATION OF FEASIBILITY OF THE DESIGN CONCEPT. TARGET VOLUME IS 12 MILES/DAY, WITH MINIMUM RUNS AT LEAST 1 MILE. EXISTING COATING TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE ANALYZED, CAPABILITIES FOR MEETING THE AF REQUIREMENTS DETERMINED, AND MODIFIED DESIGNS DEVELOPED AS REQUIRED. ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE FIBER SYSTEMS WILL BE EXAMINED AND COMPARED. SPOOLING AND TRANSPORT MECHANISMS ARE RECOGNIZED AS CRITICAL TO CONTINUITY OF PRODUCTION AND WILL BE GIVEN DETAILED ATTENTION. CLEANING PROCEDURES WILL BE CAREFULLY EVALUATED. TRADEOFF STUDIES WILL BE MADE, AN OPTIMAL SYSTEM CONFIGURATION DEVELOPED, AND FEASIBILITY OF ECONOMIC MANUFACTURE DETERMINED. ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ECONOMIC MANUFACTURING OBJECTIVE BY REASONABLE ADAPTATION AND EXTENSION OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY WITH A HIGH PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS IS CONSIDERED REALISTIC. THE RESULTS OF DESIGN ANALYSES AND TRADEOFF STUDIES WILL BE REPORTED WITH A RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONCEPT, PROPOSED HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS, AND A PLAN FOR DEMONSTRATIONG PROOF OF CONCEPT BY SMALL SCALE PRODUCTION IN A FOLLOW-ON PHASE II PROJECT.