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3 Dimensional Nano-Scale Reinforcement Architecture for Advanced Composite Structures

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Air Force
Contract: FA9550-05-C-0088
Agency Tracking Number: F045-020-0253
Amount: $747,765.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: AF04-T020
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2004
Award Year: 2005
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2005-08-02
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2007-08-02
Small Business Information
109 MacKenan Drive
Cary, NC 27511
United States
DUNS: 030936335
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Alex Bogdanovich
 VP of R&D
 (919) 481-2500
 bogdanovicha@3tex.com
Business Contact
 Andrew Watson
Title: Corp Secterary
Phone: (919) 481-2500
Email: watsona@3tex.com
Research Institution
 UNIV. OF TEXAS AT DALLAS
 Steve Collins
 
2601 N. Floyd Road
Richardson, TX 75080
United States

 (972) 883-6534
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

Three-dimensional woven and braided fiber architectures provide important advantages to composites, including suppression of delamination, high damage tolerance, improved through-the-thickness properties, simplicity and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing complex composite structural components. However, in order to diversify applications and reach high volumes of utilization of these materials in high-performance composite structures, such problems as relatively low (compared to tape laminates) fiber volume fraction, reduced in-plane stiffness and strength characteristics have to be resolved. A novel approach to designing and manufacturing 3-D woven and 3-D braided preforms for advanced polymeric and high temperature composites proposed here. The approach is based on the use of very small diameter, ultra-strong and ultra-tough continuous carbon nanotube fibers (developed and produced by the Research Institution of this proposal) as part of the multidirectional reinforcement architecture. Specifically, this kind of fibers will be used as Z-reinforcement in 3-D woven preforms to maximize volume fraction of warp and fill fibers, and as braided tows in special 3-D braided architectures to maximize volume fraction of axial fiber. Finally, it is proposed that carbon nanotube fibers will be selectively integrated into regular, ‘host’ tows to increase local strength, fracture toughness in the zones of anticipated high stress concentration.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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