SBIR-STTR Award

A low cost, high purity powder synthesis process is proposed for the boron-rich boron carbide for light weight armor applications. Rapid Carbothermal Reduction (RCR) will be used to synthesize the submicron boron carbide powder without the needs of acid washing or powder comminution processes. Boron carbide powder with different boron to carbon ratio will be synthesized, and the lot-to-lot consistency will be evaluated. Hot pressing will be use to demonstrate the fabrication of boron-rich boron carbide. A partnership with a commercial powder manufacturer will be established. A preliminary database will be established for use in designing a Phase II program to scale-up and optimize the manufacturing process in synthesis and processing of boron-rich boron carbide. The noval powder synthesis process will produce low cost, high purity, submicron boron carbide powder. The resulting boron-rich boron carbide material can be used for various applications, including light weight armor systems, nuclear reactors, and industrial wear products.

A program is proposed to develop a low-cost, high-volume process to synthesize and fabricate boron-rich boron carbide. Rapid Carbothermal Reduction (RCR) is used to synthesize the sub-micron boron carbide powder. This continuous synthesis process enable (1) the control of volatilization of boron oxide, (2) the tailoring of stoichiometry, and (3) the elimination of acid washing or powder comminution. Hot pressing and pressureless sintering provide a low-cost, high-throughput component manufacturing. Large panel fabrication and near-net-shaped manufacturing will be demonstrated in the program. Each unit operation in the powder synthesis and ceramic fabrication will be optimized. The relationship between processing, stoichiometry, microstructure and properties will be established, and selected component performance will be evaluated. Potential applications will be surveyed. It is anticipated that the resulting boron-rich boron carbide can be used as advanced armor strike-faces, industrial wear components and nuclear shields. The program is based on Ceradyne's extensive development, manufacturing, application and marketing for advanced technical ceramics. The optimization of rapid carbothermal reduction will be conducted at the University of Colorado, and a commercial powder producer, OMG Group, will perform the analysis for the scale-up of the powder synthesis. This strong team of ceramic manufacturing, synthesis development and powder production will jointly develop and commercialize the technology