High Temperature Paste Adhesives and Sealants

OUSD (R&E) MODERNIZATION PRIORITY: General Warfighting Requirements (GWR) TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Materials; Air Platform OBJECTIVE: Develop fill/fair and potting materials for both BMI and polyimide parts and assemblies. Through this work methods and procedures to repair damaged structures including laminates and sandwich structures will also be developed. Process development would evaluate both autoclave and oven based solutions as well as out of facility processes that might include techniques like heating blankets or heating boxes. DESCRIPTION: Conduct an industry survey of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) materials and processes that might be capable of meeting the objective while also conducting technical journal literature reviews of constituent materials that might be combined in a novel way to also meet the objective. Based on the COTS and technical literature reviews down select up to five material systems for evaluations for fill/fair and potting on polyimide and BMI composite material systems as well as repairing damaged polyimide and BMI structures. The structures will be a honeycomb core sandwich structure. Setup a design-of-experiments to evaluate the down selected candidates on their physical and mechanical properties on both fill/fair/potting and repair. Based on experimental results further down select to optimize the formulations for both fill/fair/potting and repair. This may result in two different optimized formulations of multiple systems. Conduct trials/demonstrations of the optimized material systems for both fill/fair/potting and repair. Based on the optimized material systems experimental results down select to no more than two systems for further optimization development, if needed, and conduct final physical and mechanical property evaluations. Finally demonstrate the final formulations for fill/fair/potting and repair on polyimide and BMI composite material systems. Concurrently while evaluating the repair objectives of the work of the optimized fill/fair and potting materials, identify heating technologies and processes for out of autoclave structural repairs. PHASE I: This topic is intended for technology proven ready to move directly into a Phase II. Therefore, a Phase I award is not required. The offeror is required to provide detail and documentation in the Direct to Phase II proposal which demonstrates accomplishment of a Phase I-like effort, including a feasibility study. This includes determining, insofar as possible, the scientific and technical merit and feasibility of ideas appearing to have commercial potential. It must have validated the product-market fit between the proposed solution and a potential AF stakeholder. The offeror should have defined a clear, immediately actionable plan with the proposed solution and the AF customer. The feasibility study should have; -Identified the prime potential AF end user(s) for the non-Defense commercial offering to solve the AF need, i.e., how it has been modified; -Described integration cost and feasibility with current mission-specific products; -Described if/how the demonstration can be used by other DoD or Governmental customers. PHASE II: Eligibility for D2P2 is predicated on the offeror having performed a Phase I-like effort predominantly separate from the SBIR Programs. Under the phase II effort, the offeror shall sufficiently develop the technical approach, product, or process in order to conduct a small number of advanced manufacturing and/or sustainment relevant demonstrations. Identification of manufacturing/production issues and or business model modifications required to further improve product or process relevance to improved sustainment costs, availability, or safety, should be documented. Air Force sustainment stakeholder engagement is paramount to successful validation of the technical approach. These Phase II awards are intended to provide a path to commercialization, not the final step for the proposed solution. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The contractor will pursue commercialization of the various technologies developed in Phase II for transitioning expanded mission capability to a broad range of potential government and civilian users and alternate mission applications. Direct access with end users and government customers will be provided with opportunities to receive Phase III awards for providing the government additional research & development, or direct procurement of products and services developed in coordination with the program. REFERENCES: High Temperature Adhesives For Aerospace Applications; Banea, Da Silva and Campilho; Galati University Press, 2012; Organic Polymer Materials in the Space Environment; Chen, Ding, Li and Wang; Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 83 (2016) 37-56.; Characterization and Properties of High-Temperature Resistant Structure Adhesive Based on Novel Toughened Bismaleimide Resins; Wang, Xiong, Ren, Ma, Han and Chen; High Performance Polymers, Vol 33(5) 488-496, 2021; A Review of the Releationship Between Design Factors and Environmental Agents Regarding Adhesive Bonded Joints; Gualberto, do Carmo Amorim, Meneses Costa; Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:389; KEYWORDS: high temperature composite repairs; high temperature composite fill and fair materials and processes; BMI repairs; polyimide repairs; out of autoclave high temperature materials; high temperature adhesives; high temperature sealants