SiC Matrix Composites for High Temperature Hypersonic Vehicle Applications

Durable high temperature materials are required for reusable hypersonic structural thermal protection systems. In particular, temperatures exceeding 2700ºF, and approaching 3000ºF, are targeted for capable structural materials that can survive stresses on the order of 10 ksi (70 MPa) for at least 100 hours in an oxidizing environment. Such materials have been identified as an enabling material for future hypersonic vehicles As this application is structural, a strong degree of damage tolerance is desired, and thus ceramic matrix composites are the primary choice due to the desire for reduced weight, high temperature strength and oxidation resistance. Silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC) composites are believed to be the most suitable solution due to meeting the requirements with the limitations of creep at the highest temperatures/loads, and oxidative attack at stresses that exceed the materials proportional limit. The proposed effort will define the temperature-stress limit of SiC/SiC composites, and examine methods to further extend this limit.

Other viable near-term applications for SiC/SiC composites with enhanced temperature capability include expendable chemical rocket thrusters for orbital insertion, attitude control system and/or divert thrust chamber components for commercial and military communication spacecraft and/or various ballistic missile defense KE intercept weapons. Opportunities for application in turbine engine augmentors (e.g., converging/diverging exhaust nozzle flaps and seals) and internal turbine engine components for military and civilian aero-propulsion systems also exist.

The development of advanced ceramic composite materials and components with enhanced thermal-structural performance over those currently available directly supports future enabling technologies for hypersonic thermal protection systems that are durable and reusable. Applications for SiC/SiC composites in advanced airbreathing combined-cycle propulsion systems and control surfaces for reusable hypervelocity and exo/transatmospheric aerospace vehicles are directly addressed by this technology. These potential applications are critically dependent on the development of advanced materials capable of high-performance load-bearing operation up to and beyond 1500oC (2700oF). Successful demonstration of the life at temperature of the CMC concept could result in a valuable near term increase in airframe performance and reliability for a variety of hot structures and thermal protection systems critical to both DoD and NASA high-speed aircraft and re-entry vehicles.

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