Development of Advanced Surface Treatments for Astroquartz Fibers

Aircraft radomes often utilize Astroquartz-reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) because of the suitable dielectric properties of the quartz fabric. However, moisture and thermal conditioning has recently been shown to substantially decrease mechanical performance metrics of certain PMCs, as well as to cause disbonds at the fiber-matrix interface. Triton Systems proposes to improve environmental durability of such PMCs by developing an advanced surface treatment of glass and Astroquartz fibers that increases fiber-matrix interface bonding, and to develop a simple, fast, and inexpensive quality assurance test for the surface treatment.Triton will begin the Phase II effort by performing a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to more specifically identify the factors that lead to poor environmental durability and weakened fiber-matrix adhesion. The RCA outcome will guide Triton’s advanced surface treatment of fibers/fabrics in composites with various polyimide and/or epoxy resins. Triton will develop the solution by producing a number of candidate surface treatments, evaluating performance, refining candidates, and demonstrating improved durability with the optimized solution. Phase III will include scale up of the prototype to full-scale production runs, integration within the supply chain, and generation of qualification data.