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Completed TRL 6 (started at 5, targeting 6)
The primary objective of the proposed phase II-E work is to enhance the phase II effort by expanding its applicability beyond structural optimization, into thermal management. Over the past 3 years, the team, led by PADT Inc., and supported by academic collaborators at Arizona State University, Purdue University, and Kennesaw State University, have developed a framework for coupling bio-inspired design with computational design. In phase I, the feasibility of this concept was demonstrated for 2D hexagonal honeycombs, focusing only on mechanical behavior and using traditional parametric optimization. In phase II, the loading environment was still limited to mechanical behavior, but the capabilities expanded to include 3D, as well as integrate the developed code into commercial FEA code (ANSYS). Importantly, the code developed by PADT employed a topology optimization approach, but enabled coupling to biologically derived constraints. Phase II-E now seeks to take this environment and modify it for enabling optimization in the context of constraints of interest in thermal management.
Light weighting of heat exchangers, radiator fins, heat pipes and vacuum chambers, heat shields, structural honeycomb. Potential intercept on NASA Glenn Research Center’s efforts in hybrid propulsion to address thermal management challenges.
Heat exchangers for aerospace industry, heat pipes for the aerospace and semiconductor industries, structural honeycomb in commercial aviation, thermal management applications for the US Air Force and OSD. Potential applications in hypersonics for thermal management of leading edge.
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