SBIR-STTR Award

S. D. Miller and Associates (SDMA) research team has led the field of research in Opacified Fibrous Insulation (OFI) since 2003.Early OFI prototypes equaled the thermal performance of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) with MultiLayer Insulation (MLI) using gold-coated shields and vastly reduced cost and maintenance of TPS for hypersonic vehicles.In 2015, OFI prototypes demonstrated improved efficiency in Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) TPS, and became part of the preferred HIAD TPS.Research is proposed on specific problems hindering further improvement and commercialization of OFI, including (1) improved consistency and (2) better correlation between theory and experiment.Improvements in these two areas support development of a model that predicts performance from first principles, allowing OFI to be optimized for TPS on future Air Force and other DoD missions, as well as other aerospace and industrial applications.To meet these objectives, SDMAs researchers will team with experts in nonwoven production to demonstrate improved manufacturing concepts, and experts in radiative heat transfer to verify theoretical performance correlates with experimental data.Phase I is expected to confirm that sample consistency improves using scalable manufacturing processes, and that data from more consistent samples provide better agreement with the model based on first principles.;

Benefit:
SDMA will commercialize Opacified Fibrous Insulation (OFI) in fabricated shapes, and supporting engineering services.Initial customers will include aerospace companies that are developing hypersonic systems.Since saving a pound on the Thermal Protection System (TPS) saves a second pound in the airframe, and these savings combined save a third pound of fuel, the total savings on one vehicle studied was 453 lbs., equivalent to $4,530,000 at current launch costs of $10,000/pound.Specialized insulations will also be developed for other markets and applications.Potential transition partners include the Air Force, DARPA, NASA and the U.S. industrial sector for hypersonic application. Alternative aeronautics markets may also be possible for air-breathing applications, industrial applications such as plasma processing and micro-fabrication techniques.

S. D. Miller and Associates (SDMA) developed Opacified Fibrous Insulation (OFI) to replace MultiLayer Insulation (MLI) on the Falcon hypersonic vehicles.In 2015, OFI demonstrated improved efficiency in Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) TPS, and became part of the preferred HIAD TPS.In Phase I, SDMA demonstrated OFI production in continuous rolls in a 12-in. width using pilot production facilities.The OFI was consistent thermally and mechanically, and 47% more thermally efficient on a thickness basis than OFI samples made previously by other methods.Transmittance measurements were also used to test our understanding of radiative heat transfer in OFI, and it was determined that further work is needed on a model that accurately predicts heat transfer from first principles.In Phase II, a model will be developed to predict heat transfer through OFI, and this model will be tested against experimental data.A trades study will be completed using input from the model and experimental measurements to optimize a few OFI variants for different applications.Pilot productions facilities will be used to make OFI in continuous, 4-foot wide rolls.Data from thermal and mechanical tests, and simulated flight experiments will be used in a Technical Data Package for Technology Integrators.