Novel Carbon Fiber Layup and Engineered Constrained-Layer Damping Material

To address the MDA need for significant reductions of mass and vibrations in beam control systems and components to provide better beam control accuracy, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to develop a Novel Carbon Fiber Layup and Engineered Constrained-Layer Damping (NoFLEX) material based on the implementation of an innovative vibration damping carbon fiber layup and the introduction of advanced manufacturing techniques. The overall weight of the system can be reduced by as much as 30% without sacrificing stability or performance, which directly addresses the requirements set forth by the MDA. In Phase I, Intellisense plans to develop a concept for implementation of lightweight components into low jitter beam control systems. A key structural component will be manufactured using additive manufacturing and will be used to demonstrate the passive vibration damping improvements of the integrated constrained-layer damping system. The component strength will also be quantified to prove feasibility as a component of a precise beam control assembly. In Phase II, Intellisense plans to develop and mature the design of a lightweight beam control device utilizing the materials and process established in Phase I and to characterize its performance in a test environment including a vibration table with representative profiles to rapidly evolve the concept. This will lead directly to transition to a government program of record for further directed development including qualification testing in Phase III. Approved for Public Release | 20-MDA-10643 (3 Dec 20)