COMPOSITE MATERIAL WET BRAIDING FABRICATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

COMPOSITE MATERIALS HAVE ADVANTAGES FOR ROCKET MOTOR CASES: LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH STRENGTH, AND FAVORABLE 'INSENSITIVE MUNITIONS' BEHAVIOR. WET BRAIDIIG OFFERS ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES OVER FILAMENT WINDING FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOSITE CASES. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS IN WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY OF BRAIDED ROCKET MOTOR CASES ARE NEEDED TO MATCH THE STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY OF FILAMENT WOUND VESSELS. THESE AREAS ARE THE CREATION OF DOMED ENDS AND TRANSLATION OF FIBER MODULUS IN THE COMPOSITE STRUCTURE. U.S. COMPOSITES PROPOSES SEVERAL UNIQUE METHODS FOR INTRODUCING THESE FEATURES. OUR APPROACHES ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE USE OF OUR PATENTED WET BRAIDING TECHNOLOGY. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS - THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL BE DIRECTLY APPLICABLE TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURE OF BRAIDED COMPOSITE TACTICAL ROCKET MOTOR CASES. LOWER COST AND IMPROVED IM PERFORMANCE WILL RESULT.