DEMONSTRATION OF LOW CTE PARTICULATE REINFORCED METAL MATRIXCOMPOSITE MATERIAL

CURRENT SPACE STRUCTURE JOINTS AND COUPLINGS REQUIRE LOW CTE WHILE MAINTAINING LIGHTWEIGHT AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THEY MUST ALSO BE FABRICABLE AND OF AFFORDABLE COST. NO MATERIAL DEVELOPED TO DATE ADEQUATELY MEETS ALL OF THESE CRITERIA. THIS IS ALARMING BECAUSE SPACE STRUCTURES MUST BELIGHTWEIGHT FOR TRANSPORTATION PURPOSES, HAVE HIGH STIFFNESS FOR STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS, AND POSSESS LOW CTE FOR THERMAL STABILITY. THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL DEMONSTRATE AND EVALUATE VARIOUS LOW CTE PARTICULATE REINFORCED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES FOR USE AS THE MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION FOR THESE COMPONENTS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY COMBINING ULTRA LOW CTE REINFORCEMENTS IN SELECTED LOW CTE ALUMINUM MATRICES AIMED AT PRODUCING AN ISOTROPIC COMPOSITE MATERIAL THAT EXHIBITS A CTE OF APPROX. 3 IN/IN/DEGREE(F) AND AN ULTIMATE STRENGTH >40 KSI. DWA HASHAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE FABRICATION OF SPACE STRUCTURE COMPONENTS AS WELL AS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICULATE REINFORCED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES AND THEREFOREIS HIGHLY QUALIFIED TO UNDERTAKE THIS ENDEAVOR. THE MATERIAL TARGETED IN THIS PROGRAM WOULD HAVE COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS IN ELECTRONIC SUBSTRATES, ANTENNA DISH SUBSTRATES, AND ANY OTHER AREA WHERE LIGHTWEIGHT AND CONTROLLED, LOW CTE ARE CRITICAL.