Lightweight High Temperature Non-Eroding Throat Materials for Propulsion Systems, Phase I

The innovation in this proposed effort is the development of lightweight, non-eroding nozzle materials for use in propulsion systems. Lightweight structures are desirable for space transportation vehicle systems in order to reduce launch costs, increase mission flexibility/efficiency, and add robustness with respect to the ability to add weight or additional materials to the mission with minimum sacrifice in performance. The use of non-eroding materials, coupled with lightweight materials, as rocket nozzles can further increase mission flexibility by allowing an increase in performance, higher maximum temperatures, greater speeds, greater range, bigger payloads, and longer lifetimes. The higher maximum temperatures may eliminate the need for cooling air, while simultaneously increasing engine efficiency. Higher maximum use temperature additionally allows for increased stagnation temperatures and pressures, increasing the propellant enthalpy, which, in return, can significantly increase the velocity and performance of the projectile. These benefits result in increased fuel savings. The advanced materials study will include monolithic ceramics, refractory metals, and high temperature ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials. The manufacturing processes for the monolithic ceramics and refractory metal materials will include hot isostatic processing (HIP), vacuum plasma spraying (VPS), electrodeposition. The CMC fabrication processes will include braiding, filament winding, tape wrapping, and involute layup.

The results of this lightweight, high temperature, non-eroding nozzle material study will have broad ranging applications in the civil aerospace, governmental aerospace companies, as well as aircraft jet engine manufactures and power generation equipment manufacturing companies. Potential customers include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Electric Power Systems, and ATK-Thiokol. MR&D's core business is design and structural analysis of high temperature materials. The fundamental technology and design tools developed in this SBIR program will allow us to expand our client base and offer more capabilities to our existing customers. Additionally, the technology developed here will be translated to other commercial and government applications to expand the market for refractory material leading edges, nozzles, hypersonic airframes and ramjet engines.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.