Development of Improved Aircraft Thermal Protection Materials

Systems that have used tile insulations, such as NASA's Alumina Enhanced Thermal Barrier (AETB) and Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation (FRCI), have long fought against the high cost, limited damage tolerance, and complicated attachment schemes ofthese materials. Efforts to improve the tiles with hardness coatings have not provided an adequate solution to the problem. The limitation has been the limited strength and damage tolerance of the tiles themselves. Until a viable solution to thisproblem can be found, vehicles will continue to bare the extremely high cost of maintenance, repair and replacement of tiles. In this Phase I proposal, COIC proposes to develop a new version of AETB with 2 - 5 times the strength and impact tolerance ofcurrent versions of the material at a reduced cost. This objective will be achieved through the development of a new composition and manufacturing process for the material.Benefits of this insulation system over existing insulations will be vastly reducedrepair and maintenance costs, and lower material costs. Other potential applications for a strengthened tile would be used as a structural core material. The advantage of composite sandwich panel design is well known in the organic composites industry.