SBIR-STTR Award

CAV is a concept for a maneuvering reentry vehicle that brings a payload through the atmosphere from (sub)orbital trajectory. CAV uses an aero shell to protect payload and avionics from reentry heating. While the aero shell is the primary shield, a key CAV technical need is an insulation system for the interior of the aero shell, protecting control electronics and payload. Besides thermal protection, the insulation should isolate from shock, vibration, and acoustic loads. Ocellus proposes an exceptional new composite material that will meet or exceed requirements for the CAV application. This material, named BRIA, consists of a novel low-density ceramic fiber matrix filled with heat-resistant aluminum oxide foam. It is lightweight, mechanically strong, easily fashioned into shapes, an excellent thermal insulator, stable to 2600°F, and should exhibit extraordinary energy dissipation characteristics. Our approach is to engineer BRIA to meet CAV needs for interior insulation. In a preliminary design, the BRIA insulation system is attached directly to the inner surface of the aero shell, providing more payload space and critical protection should the aero shell be damaged. Phase I work includes characterization of BRIA, model development for BRIA trade study, and preliminary design for BRIA in CAV.

Benefits:
Immediate benefits from this Phase I activity would be the identification of an insulation system for the CAV that would offer value-added benefits such as, designs allowing insulation in contact with aero shell to provide more payload space and protection to payload should aero shell be damaged. Longer term benefits stem from further development of BRIA and its use in other aerospace applications and, ultimately, commercial products. Besides CAV, an initial aerospace market strategy is to develop BRIA as a Thermal Protection System (TPS) for Space Vehicles, such as Reusable Launch Vehicles, expendable launch and reentry vehicles, and the current Shuttle fleet. These applications would be enabled by an insulation material that provides excellent high temperature insulation, and possesses sufficient thermal tolerance and mechanical strength to withstand multiple atmospheric reentry cycles. The development of this large market would allow manufacturing scale-up and manufacturing efficencies. The secondary market, commercial products, feeds off of the systems and experience developed in the military/space market. This market would initially focus on niche applications such as flight data recorders and specialty high temperature furnaces.

Keywords:
CAV insulation ceramic composite high temperature insulation aluminum oxide foam rigid ceramic fiber insulation vibration acoustic insulation shock insulation

CAV is a concept for a hypersonic maneuvering reentry vehicle that brings a payload through the atmosphere from (sub)orbital trajectory. A key technology need for CAV and other hypersonic vehicles is durable, lightweight insulation that isolates high temperature, shock, vibration, and acoustic loads. In Phase I, Ocellus proposed an exceptional new composite material to meet or exceed CAV requirements, called BRIA. Phase I demonstrated feasibility of BRIA and the Phase II effort builds on this work to increase the Technology Readiness Level leading to flight readiness, integration into system design(s) and flight test. Using the physical properties data, computational model, and new design insights from Phase I, the Phase II effort expands the number and type of BRIA forms and manufacturing, expands testing to environmentally relevant conditions, develops integration methods for BRIA, and develops an enhanced design tool. While the Phase II effort is focused on high temperature insulation for CAV, it is clear that this technology has the potential to impact broader military opportunities such as the recently announced FALCON program which is seeking technologies that can evolve to provide a near-term operational capability (CAV/SLV) and enable development of a reusable HCV and ECAV for the far-term.

Benefits:
BRIA offers a clear path to a near-term TPS solution for CAV while offering advantages over existing technologies. Phase I demonstrated that BRIA has the potential to be a multi-functional material in CAV and other hypersonic vehicles by filling several TPS roles. The ability to tailor BRIA properties allows it to be a flexible solution to meet future technological needs. It is clear that this technology has the potential to impact a range of military applications such the CAV, ECAV, and HCV. Also clear is that a range of commercial opportunities are available to this technology. For example, advanced TPS materials are needed for upgrading the current Shuttle fleet and for planned space vehicles such as Reusable Launch Vehicles and other expendable launch and reentry vehicles.

Keywords:
CAV insulation, ceramic matrix composite, high temperature insulation, aluminum nanofoam, rigid ceramic fiber insulation, vibration/acoustic insulation, hypersonic vehicle, atmosphere reentry