Composite Aeroshells with Integral Heat Shield Designs

The Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program proposed herein by DE Technologies, Inc. (DET) will identify and evaluate candidate material systems and manufacturing approaches for integral heatshield/airframe designs. Material and processtrade studies will be performed to identify the most economical and technically feasible materials, geometries and process parameters. An integrated design for manufacturing methodology will be employed to develop an integral winding/braiding fabricationmethod. Parametric thermo-mechanical analyses will be conducted to evaluate candidate material systems and fiber reinforcement architectures. Fabrication of prototype heatshield/airframe components and thermostructural characterization testing will beperformed as part of the Phase II development program.In addition to the primary application for tactical missile structures, the proposed manufacturing technology would also have application to future high acceleration launch vehicles and high-speed civiltransport vehicles. The low-cost performing and co-curing processes to be developed would also lead to lightweight, integrated structures for numerous applications including automotive structures, civil infrastructure, biomedical products and sportinggoods, for example.