Design and Fabrication of Aerospace-Grade Digital Composite Materials

This project aims to advance design rules and fabrication approaches to create aerospace-grade structures from digital composite materials. Digital materials are discrete building blocks that can be assembled in a scalable, rapid, and reversible manner. To date, however, demonstrated structures have primarily been restricted either in the use of high performance composite materials or in the topology of the assembled structure. We will address these shortcomings via computational and experimental investigation of 1-D fiber-reinforced struts that have increased specific stiffness and buckling resistance, and 2-D element populations to create structures with tunable and directional properties. The modular design of digital materials will be modeled and characterized in an effort to avoid costly and lengthy sub-component certification. Ultimately, the ability to repurpose defunct space structures through disassembly and subsequent assembly within a new, modular design will provide greater material efficiency and a more sustainable launch cost structure.

Ultimately, the ability to repurpose defunct space structures through disassembly and subsequent assembly within a new, modular design will provide greater material efficiency and a more sustainable launch cost structure.

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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