In an effort to enhance the capabilities and meet the operational demands of the 21st century warfighter, composite material systems have been more widely inserted into Todays Fleet. The Navy is now looking for a lightweight honeycomb core filler for repairs with a short, room-temperature cure to improve repair and maintenance methods in order maximize the life of these high-performance composite components and structures. Critical performance targets are a density of 0.5g/cm3 or less and a 1 hour cure to sanding. Materials Sciences LLC proposes to develop a low density, quick cure honeycomb filler that will enable repairs to be completed without special equipment at room temperature and reach full cure at a fraction of the current cure time. Extensive knowledge of formulation and wide range of repair experience reduce technical risk for this unique formulation which will be designed for universal application method and low cost.
Benefit: The product resulting from this program is a low-density honeycomb filler that is curable in a wide range of ambient temperatures. The repair requires minimal equipment to complete and results in a restored component with excellent mechanical properties. The development of this filled matrix that is rapidly ready for sanding will provide the Navy with a durable, temperature resistant drop-in replacement for current repairs of sandwich composites. On a broader scale, the product will be an improvement on commercial repair fillers that are used in a number of industries including defense and aerospace, transportation, building and construction, and maritime.
Keywords: Simplified Repair, Simplified Repair, Light weight, Low Cost, long shelf life, Honeycomb filler, Room temperature cure, Reduced Repair Time, Quick Cure
