"This Phase I program will result in the availability of a reduced cost interim SCRAMJET engine panel manufacturing method to support current test/demonstration engine manufacturing phases of the HyTECH (Hypersonic Technology) Program. It will increaseengine design options, provide a demonstration… More

This Phase II program will result in the availability of a reduced cost increased capability robust SCRAMJET engine panel manufacturing method to support test/demonstration and production phases of the HySET and other Programs. It will support improvedengine designs by increasing design options… More

Cavitation peening is a novel method of inducing deep residual compressive stresses in components by sweeping an ultra-high pressure waterjet across the surface. The process is fast, very inexpensive and can be readily applied to a wide variety ofgeometries, including difficult to access surfaces… More

Cavitation peening is a novel method of inducing deep residual compressive stresses in components by sweeping an ultra-high pressure waterjet across the surface. The process is fast, very inexpensive and can be readily applied to a wide variety ofgeometries, including difficult to access surfaces… More

This program will result in the development of a drastically reduced cost, reduced lead time and increased capability channel wall rocket combustor manufacturing technology. Demonstrated will be the feasibility of a technology that will provide tremendouscost and lead-time reductions from the… More

In order to meet the goal of producing minature interceptors that cost less than $50K, new designs and lower cost manufacturing methods are required. The approached advocated in this proposal is to use novel machining techniques which have recently been developed and used to make rhenium test… More

This Phase II program will result in a drastically reduced cost, reduced lead time and increased capability channel wall rocket combustor manufacturing technology. This is an enabling technology for improved engine designs due to new design options that are now feasible for the advancement of… More

Titanium is one of the more difficult metals to machine economically because of it's combination of high cutting strength, low thermal conductivity and tendancy to react chemically with the carbide cutting tools. The proposed machining approach side steps these material problems by using abrasive… More

New high temperature resistant materials are being developed for the kill vehicles required for missile defense. These materials are typically very hard and difficult or impossible to machine by conventional techniques, thus limiting their use and driving cost and lead time up. Designs are being… More

Cavitation peening is a novel method of inducing deep residual compressive stresses in metal components to enhance fatigue life and improve damage tolerance. The process involves sweeping ultra high-pressure waterjets over the surface to be peened so that cavitation bubbles form and collapse on the… More

Novel waterjet machining techniques are proposed to reduce the costs of grid fin manufacturing by 80% over conventional waterjets. Waterjets are well suited to the task of machining fins because they are a cold cutting process that will not cause thermal damage to the thin webs, they can achieve the… More

Cavitation peening is a novel method of inducing deep residual compressive stresses in metal components to enhance fatigue life and improve damage tolerance. The process involves sweeping ultra-high pressure waterjets over the surface of the part to be peened so that the cavitation bubbles form and… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop an improved cavitation peening process using high-pressure water jets to introduce deep compressive residual stresses in materials to improve high-cycle fatigue (HCF) resistance. It has been shown that the introduction of… More

Novel waterjet machining techniques are proposed to reduce the costs of grid fin manufacturing by 80% over conventional waterjets. Waterjets are well suited to the task of machining fins because they are a cold cutting process that will not cause thermal damage to the thin webs, they can achieve the… More

Scramjet engine developers are working on advanced axisymmetric engine concepts that may not be feasible due to limitations of currently available manufacturing methods. The primary goal of this SBIR is to make available a new technology that will make it feasible to manufacture small diameter… More

Cavitation peening (CP) is a novel method of inducing residual compressive stresses in components to enhance fatigue life and improve damage tolerance. The process involves sweeping ultra high-pressure waterjets over the surface to be peened so that cavitation bubbles form and collapse on the… More

Air Force and NASA contractors are in need of ultra-high temperature materials with improved toughness properties for hypersonics and rocket propulsion applications. This SBIR will make available a new technology that can significantly increase the fracture toughness of existing and emerging… More

This proposal introduces a novel Direct Manufacturing process for making high performance components and coatings. This process has the potential to overcome many of the limitations of current technology and may make it possible to manufacture production quantity and quality parts directly from… More

In order to reduce weight and improve performance, many new aircraft designs are using titanium hydraulic tubing because of it's high strength to weight ratio and high pressure rating. Higher hydraulic pressures enable the use of small and lighter actuators, allowing further reductions in weight. A… More

This Phase II project proposes to improve the fatigue life and power transmission capabilities of carburized gears by enhancing crack initiation resistance through cavitation peening. Cavitation peening is a low cost surface enhancement process that induces high magnitude residual stresses on a… More

Aircraft use thin-walled high-strength tubing for hydraulic systems. As wall thickness is reduced to save weight, the ability of the tubing to withstand flaws, induced either in manufacturing or in service, becomes critical. High performance aircraft use titanium alloys to save weight and provide… More

Electroplated hard chrome is used extensively for aerospace and industrial applications because it is wear resistant, corrosion resistant, has a good surface finish and has good adhesion. Naval aircraft use chrome plating on landing gear components because of these characteristics. However these… More

Aging aircraft experience fatigue cracking from stress concentrations around rivet holes. Current best practice is to pull an oversized mandrel through the hole to induce beneficial residual compressive stresses and this improves fatigue life significantly. However, the benefit is reduced for… More

Cold Spray is an emerging technology that uses pressurized gas to accelerate metal particles above a certain critical velocity so that they adhere to the targeted substrate and to each other. Liquid accelerated cold spray uses high pressure, high velocity liquid to accelerate the particles instead… More

Refractory alloys such as tantalum-tungsten and ceramics are being pursued as a solution to high temperature erosive wear of gun barrels. However rifling of these materials with conventional broaching and electrochemical milling is proving to be difficult. This proposal seeks to demonstrate an… More

Electroplated hard chrome is used extensively for aerospace and industrial applications because it is wear resistant, corrosion resistant, has a good surface finish and has good adhesion. Naval aircraft use chrome plating on landing gear components because of these characteristics. However these… More

Aging aircraft experience fatigue cracking from stress concentrations around rivet holes. Current best practice is to pull an oversized mandrel through a split sleeve in the hole to induce beneficial residual compressive stresses and this improves fatigue life significantly. However, the benefit is… More