HELPING AIRCRAFT ENGINES LIGHTEN UP
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTIVITY/MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
ORIGINATING TECHNOLOGY/ NASA CONTRIBUTION
High-temperature polyimide/carbon fiber matrix
composites are developed by the Polymers Branch at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. These materials
can withstand high temperatures and have good
processing properties, which make them particularly
useful for jet and rocket engines and for components
such as fan blades, bushings, and duct segments.
Applying polyimide composites as components for
aerospace structures can lead to substantial
vehicle weight reductions.
A typical polyimide composite is made up of layers
of carbon or glass fibers glued together by a high-temperature
polymer to make the material strong, stiff, and
lightweight. Organic molecules containing carbon,
nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen within the polyimide
keep the material’s density low, resulting in the
light weight. The strength of a component or part
made from a polyimide comes mainly from the reinforcing
high-strength fibers. The strength of the carbon
fibers coupled with the stiffness of polyimides
allows engineers to make a very rigid structure
without it being massive. Another benefit of a
polyimide’s suitability for aerospace applications
is its reduced need for machining. When polyimide
parts are removed from a mold, they are nearly
in their final shape. Usually, very little machining
is needed before a part is ready for use.
PARTNERSHIP
Glenn awarded Maverick Corporation, of Cincinnati,
Ohio, a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) contract to develop a family of nontoxic,
high-temperature polyimide resins. The company
successfully developed polyimides that exhibit
high glass transition temperatures and excellent
thermal oxidative stability for aircraft applications.
|
Maverick was then granted $500,000 from the Ohio
Technology Action Fund to commercialize the polyimides
for high-temperature Resin Transfer Molding, a
low-cost manufacturing process commonly used in
the aerospace and automotive industries. Glenn
also contributed $50,000 to this effort.
In addition to its successful SBIR partnership
with Glenn, Maverick also licensed a bundle package
of four polymer technologies developed by the Center’s
Polymers Branch. Maverick worked with Glenn’s Technology
Transfer and Partnerships Office and the Great
Lakes Industrial Technology Center (GLITeC) to
sign the license. Through the license agreement,
researchers in the Polymers Branch extended assistance
to Maverick to further develop the technologies.
Also as part of the partnership, GLITeC, NASA’s
Midwest Technology Transfer Center, worked to help
Maverick identify markets and customers.
PRODUCT OUTCOME
|
| This 4-foot aircraft engine cooling duct was produced using the solvent-assisted
Resin Transfer Molding process. |
Maverick’s BIM product line, a family of affordable,
low-toxicity polyimide resins, is the commercial
result of the company’s SBIR relationship with
Glenn. The technology, which has caught the attention
of the aerospace industry, offers high-temperature
performance and processing versatility. The resins,
which contain no mutagenic or carcinogenic components,
can be processed by compression molding, autoclave,
solvent-assisted resin transfer molding, and conventional
resin transfer molding.
The product line benefits aircraft engine and airframe
applications. Since the resins can reduce the cost
and weight of aerospace structures, they will help
NASA with the development of future space vehicles.
The U.S. military may also use the technology in
both aircraft and ground transportation applications.
Maverick expects that new products derived from
its NASA license will lead to sales of over $50,000
per year within 3 years, with increases from there.
One of the first products commercialized from this
license is DMBZ, a Glenn-developed/patented polyimide
designed for applications requiring short-term
exposure to temperatures up to 800 °F.
