Hybrid Nanocomposites for Efficient Aerospace Structures

NASA seeks to address the primary goals of the Advanced Air Vehicles program, improving safety and efficiency, through exploration of the value for hybrid composites to guide the direction for development and insertion of the materials into industry. Cornerstone Research Group Inc. (CRG), University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), and NanoSperse LLC have formed a team of experts in the aerospace composites industry to perform a systems-level value assessment for hybrid composites into target aircraft application areas during this Phase I project, and demonstrate actual material properties through a preliminary hybrid composite formulation, fabrication, and characterization activity. The result of the Phase I project will be direction for hybrid composites development. In Phase II and beyond, this team provides the necessary skills and capabilities –industry insight, materials formulation, nanomaterials dispersion, composites design, aerospace structures design, and composites manufacturing – to drive the technology into commercial application.

Supporting several of NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate projects and the Advanced Composites Project, this project's technologies directly address requirements for acceleration of development and certification procedures for composite materials. This project's technologies provide an objective, value-driven roadmap for the development and integration of hybrid composite materials, leveraging scalable, certifiable design and manufacturing practices. This technology could be used by NASA to design, build, and test future aerospace research vehicles.

The proposed multifunctional hybrid composite technology has high potential for application in public and private sector commercial aircraft systems. This project's technologies, developed for NASA systems and programs, would directly apply to aerospace systems designed, manufactured, and operated by other government and commercial enterprises. Government systems, such as the B1-B, currently utilize multifunctional nanocomposite films to simplify manufacturing processes and reduce maintenance, contributing significantly to life-cycle cost savings. Additional systems that would benefit from this incorporation of this technology and other hybrid composites would include fighters, bombers, transport aircraft, unmanned air vehicles, missiles, spacecraft, satellites, and marine systems operated by the Department of Defense. This technology's attributes enable multifunctional structures and coatings which should yield a high potential for private sector commercialization within commercial aviation platforms through increased efficiency and safety. With sufficient reductions in materials and manufacturing costs, these materials could also be adopted by the automotive, marine, and civil infrastructure industries.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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