HIGH PERFORMANCE POLYIMIDE FILM USING LARC-TPI

LARC-TPI IS A THERMOPLASTIC POLYIMIDE, DEVELOPED BY NASA TO OVERCOME THE PROCESSING DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED WITH CONVENTIONAL POLYIMIDES. LARC-TPI CAN BE EASILY CAST INTO ASTRONG TOUGH FILM, BECAUSE IT IS PROCESSED FROM A LOW-BOILING POINT SOLVENT AND IMIDIZED AT A RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE. THIS PROGRAM'S OBJECTIVE IS THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF FILM PROCESSING METHODS TO ORIENT THE THERMOPLASTIC LARC-TPI FILM TO IMPROVE STRENGTH, STIFFNESS AND THERMO-MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR. CONTROLLED ORIENTATION OF THE FILM WILL PERMIT TAILORING PROPERTIES TO MEET AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY REQUIRING HIGH TEMPERATURE, TOUGH STRUCTURAL FILM AND FILM-BASED COMPOSITES. THE PROGRAM WILLINVOLVE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS TO ORIENT LARC-TPI FILMS, CHARACTERIZATION OF THE FILMS, AND IDENTIFICATION OF KEY APPLICATIONS. SPECIFIC EFFORT PROPOSED FOR PHASE I INCLUDES THE EVALUATIONOF CONTROLLED STRETCHING OF THE FILM AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES AS A MEANS OF ORDERING THE FILM AND CONTROLLINGSPECIFIC PROPERTIES. THE EXTENT OF ORDER ACHIEVABLE USING THIS TECHNIQUE AND THE EFFECT ON CRITICAL PROPERTIES WILL BEDETERMINED. THE PHASE II EFFORT WILL OPTIMIZE THE HEAT/STRETCH TECHNIQUEAND INTEGRATE IT WITH LARC-TPI FILM PRODUCTION METHODS CURRENTLY USED. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROGRAM ALTERNATE APPLICATIONS FOR LARC-TPI FILMS WILL BE IDENTIFIED AS ACHIEVABLE PROPERTIES ARE DETERMINED.