A Hypersonic Environment Testbed for Affordable and Standardized Materials Strength Testing

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop a hypersonic materials mechanical strength (HMMS) testbed technology capable of measuring mechanical properties of hypersonic material systems as they are subjected to the thermal shock, high heating rate and associated temperatures, and oxidative environment experienced at the leading edge of a hypersonic vehicle. The HMMS testbed will combine an Instron Universal Testing System with PSI’s existing hypersonic materials testbed. During Phase I PSI will design and test key elements of the HMMS system and develop a preliminary design for the Phase II prototype system. Experiments will also assess the impact of the simulated hypersonic environment on the ex-situ tensile strength of a ceramic matrix composite material. During a proposed Phase I Option, feedback from the preliminary prototype design review will be used to finalize the design of the Phase II prototype and detailed machine drawings will be prepared to enable rapid development of the technology at the start of the Phase II program. The prototype design will be built in the Phase II program and tested to establish the HMMS testbed technology to a technology readiness level of 6 (TRL=6).