SBIR Program Improves Manufacturing for Composite Engine Components

  • Published
  • By Dr. Frances Abrams
  • Materials and Manufacturing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory have successfully completed a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to reduce the cost of high-temperature polyimide materials. The program resulted in improvements to the manufacturing process, and the qualification and delivery of production prepreg materials for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine and airframe applications.

This effort expanded the industrial supply base for critical polyimide resin monomers. Incorporation of these materials in Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine offers a significant cost advantage over other high-temperature composite structures. Even at low-rate initial production quantities, the composite prepreg materials delivered in July 2010 were priced below the program target cost for engine T250, which will translate to millions of dollars of material cost savings over the life of the F135 program.

AFRL researchers and aerospace manufacturers have expressed interest in polyimide composite materials as they offer a desirable alternative to current titanium and Bismaleimide composite materials found in many high temperature aerospace parts.

During the SBIR program, personnel at Maverick Corporation in Blue Ash, Ohio, identified, tested and demonstrated multiple alternate sources for critical monomers used to manufacture their AFR-PE-4 Polyimide resin system. Renegade Materials in Springboro, Ohio, combined the resin with carbon fiber and fabrics using high-rate prepreg manufacturing equipment and processes.

Maverick and Renegade Materials used internal funding for qualification of their materials, and they have been approved for use in several F135 engine components. The ultimate result of this effort is a robust supply chain for monomer components, resin and prepreg manufacturing, and the transition of the technology to the Joint Strike Fighter program.