Company
Portfolio Data
Back to Company SearchHELICOID INDUSTRIES, INC.
UEI: FRVMCNCQ75G7
Number of Employees: 10
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
SBIR/STTR Involvement
Year of first award: 2021
4
Phase I Awards
1
Phase II Awards
25%
Conversion Rate
$804,603
Phase I Dollars
$1,147,288
Phase II Dollars
$1,951,891
Total Awarded
Awards
Multi-Functional Adaptive Biomimetic High Energy-Density Battery Enclosure
Amount: $206,490 Topic: C58-22d
The anticipated global count of passenger vehicles is projected to increase from 1,102 million in 2017 to 1,980 million by 2040. This sector is a significant contributor to global CO2 emissions, accounting for approximately 23% of the total, with road transportation alone contributing around 72% of this figure. Lightweighting is particularly relevant to promote the widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles. Structural weight reductions lead to higher energy density, allow for larger battery packs and hence extend the range of electric vehicles. Battery enclosures constitute one of the largest weight-saving opportunities for battery electric vehicles, with fiber reinforced composites playing a key role in achieving the desired weight targets. In fact, empty metallic battery enclosures add 110-160 kilograms to vehicle mass and are now the heaviest component on battery electric vehicles. Battery enclosures need to meet a broad range of multifunctional requirements which are currently achieved via separate and independent designs requiring costly integration and assembly. Amongst the most relevant functions of the enclosure, high crashworthiness (especially impact protection from road impacts and from rapid energy release events in case of battery failure and thermal runaway) and thermal management are critical to ensure passengers safety, the longevity and correct functioning of the battery pack. To this end, multifunctional and intelligent composites that can sense, diagnose, and respond for adjustment with minimum external intervention and that allow alternation of functionality and mechanical properties on demand are ideal to make a step change in battery enclosure design and vehicle energy efficiency. Based on the needs for disruptive multifunctional composite materials enabling lighter and more integrated automotive components for electric vehicles, in this Phase I project, we propose an innovative approach that integrates a multifunctional active cooling system designed using topology optimization and a biomimetic self-sensing and adaptive lightweight composite laminate designed for superior impact protection and safe containment of rapid energy release events during thermal runaway to drastically reduce the thermal runaway risk, hence allowing for battery-packs with higher energy density and uncompromised passenger safety. This aligns with the goal of achieving high-performance, low cost and efficient vehicles while enhancing safety and reliability, crucial for wider battery electric vehicles adoption. The Phase I goal is to demonstrate via experimental testing and finite element analysis a multi-material design for the creation of a thermo-mechanical battery enclosure with a high degree of functional integration, high safety and autonomous response to critical battery failure events and road impact to maximize passengerĺs safety while minimizing the final cost and weight. This objective will be achieved via integrating matrix systems with different properties to bioinspired fiber architectures and active cooling systems. Experimental and numerical activities will be performed to optimize the innovative battery enclosure. The resulting optimized structure will be rated with a rigorous decision matrix and compared against state-of-the-art battery enclosures based on the level of production cost, specific mechanical performance, and carbon footprint. Following this Phase I project, the innovative high-performance and multifunctional composite design for thermo-mechanical battery enclosures will be scaled up throughout Phase II and III, leveraging partnerships with key automotive and raw material suppliers. A pilot application for commercial automotive will be targeted to deliver to market more than 450,000 battery enclosures by 2030 integrating the newly developed self-sensing and adaptive composite technology and cooling unit. The innovation will have a wider impact to extensively enable the use of highly multifunctional and ôsmartö composite designs in other applications requiring high mechanical performance, damage tolerance and thermal control including road transportation, marine, rail and green powered aviation.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2024
DOE
Bio-Inspired Ultra-Tough Lightweight Composite Launch Tube
Amount: $139,700 Topic: N241-045
The proposed 12-month project (Phase I, ASO A241-045) with Phase I Base (6 months) and Phase I Option (6 month) aims at delivering an innovative conceptual design of a lightweight, cost-effective, durable and shock resistant composite Launch Tube (LT) for the 6.75-inch diameter Compact Rapid Attack Weapon (CRAW) Launcher Assemblies (LA) following the propulsion performance, weight and integration requirements presented in the ASO A241-045. The innovative composite LT will target a weight reduction of 175 lbm compared to the current stainless-steel solution. A Key innovation to meet the stringent propulsion performance requirements while achieving the targeted weight reduction is the use of monolithic and/or hybrid Helicoid™ composites in the design. Helicoid™ is an innovative bio-mimetic composite technology to enhance blast resistance of conventional laminated composites (up to 97% improvement in energy absorption measured against conventional Carbon-fiber composites with 20%-40% weight reduction potential). Helicoid Industries Inc (HEL) will partner with The University of Rhode Island (URI). In the Phase I Base, HEL will define the LT requirements, create conceptual design(s), develop and execute numerical finite element and analytical models to explore the design space and identify optimal solutions. URI will design, manufacture, and test coupon-level samples to demonstrate the benefit of the selected design(s) in enhancing performance and durability under blast conditions. Finally, HEL will demonstrate the CRAW system integration of the selected concept(s). In Phase I Option, HEL and URI will finalize the initial design specifications, demonstrate durability and reuse, and identify the required capabilities to prototype a full-scale composite LT in Phase II. The final deliverable will consist of a roboust conceptual design of the composite LT to be prototyped and tested at full scale in Phase II which will also validate the integration with the CRAW LA interfaces. URI’s long-lasting expertise in modelling and experimental validation of blast performance of composite structures for marine and Navy-related applications combined with the strong composite engineering expertise of HEL and HEL’s patented Helicoid™ impact-resistant composite technology will create the perfect synergy to maximize project outcomes and successfully achieve the project goal. Constant interaction between HEL and URI will be maintained during the project via weekly meetings and a total of two in-person visits of the PI to URI. The total budget requested for the project is $239,836.16. Time and budget allocated to URI is no larger than one-third of the total budget requested for direct and indirect costs. Experimental activities will be conducted at URI while numerical activities will make use of software (Abaqus) and computational resources provided by both HEL and URI. Materials, supplies and equipment will be all sourced in the US at project start.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2024
DOD
NAVY
Multiscale Bioinspired Enhancement Of Natural-Fiber Composites For Green Vehicles
Amount: $1,147,288 Topic: C54-14c
The global number of passenger vehicles is forecasted to rise from 1,102 million in 2017 to 1,980 million by 2040. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on petroleum-based solutions has been the focus of the United States Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office. The use of lightweight fiber-reinforced composite materials is key to enable lower emission vehicles and promote the widespread adoption of long-range electric vehicles, offering a significant opportunity to achieve the decarbonization of transportation in America. However, conventional composites used in automotive, such as carbon fiber and glass fiber use petroleum-based, high embodied energy constituents which are difficult to recycle and dispose. Green composites making use of natural fibers and/or biopolymers have a low carbon footprint and outstanding end-of-life properties. However, green composites do not perform as well as their petroleum-based counterparts, hindering their wider adoption in high volume automotive structural components. In Phase I, we have developed and demonstrated, at coupon level, the performance of a new green composite material being more recyclable and having a lower carbon footprint to enable a wider use of green composites in high-volume structural applications. Through detailed experimental activities and numerical analysis we have devised a green 100% bio-based solution resulting in a composite capable of achieving superior specific flexural stiffness (+29%), flexural strength (+42%) and interlaminar strength (+92%) performance compared to a non-sustainable glass-fiber composite. These results pave the way to develop high-performance materials to drastically reduce CO2 emission production with more sustainable end of life options. In the Phase II project, we will initially optimize the configurations identified in Phase I to increase the performance improvement. Additionally, we will explore non-structural functionalities, such as improved thermal management and self-healing. Such multifunctionalities become increasingly important to deliver “smart” vehicles characterized by high system integration and lower manufacturing carbon footprint. Subsequently, we will integrate the optimized technology in a full-scale automotive component, targeting the underbody protection panel of an electric car. This is a key component to enable E-mobility as it protects the battery pack from impacts. Key partnerships with automotive and raw materials suppliers will allow to deliver a highly sustainable solution at low cost and scalable to high volume, targeting the production of more than 10,000 tons of the developed low carbon footprint green material by 2029. The innovation will have a wider impact to extensively enable the use of green composites in other high-performance applications in automotive as well as wind rotor blades and hydrogen pressure vessels.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2023
DOE
14c Multiscale Bioinspired Enhancement Of Natural-Fiber Composites For Green Vehicles
Amount: $198,991 Topic: C54-14c
The global number of passenger vehicles is forecasted to rise from 1,102 million in 2017 to 1,980 million by 2040. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on petroleum-based solutions has been the focus of the United States Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office. The use of lightweight fiber-reinforced composite materials is key to enable lower emission vehicles and promote the widespread adoption of long-range electric vehicles, offering a significant opportunity to achieve the decarbonization of transportation in America. However, conventional composites used in automotive, such as carbon fiber and glass fiber use petroleum-based, high embodied energy constituents which are difficult to recycle and dispose. Green composites making use of natural fibers and/or biopolymers have a low carbon footprint and outstanding end-of-life properties. However, green composites do not perform as well as their petroleum-based counterparts, hindering their wider adoption in high-volume automotive structural components. Based on the needs for disruptive green composites with high mechanical performance, impact resistance, durability, and multifunctional features, in this Phase I project, an innovative multiscale material design framework is proposed. The framework will lead to a cost effective and scalable green composite that can be used in structural automotive components, replacing petroleum-based composites, with no compromise in terms of safety and strength. Additionally, the proposed approach will deliver non-structural functionalities, such as improved thermal management, self-healing and electrical conductivity. Such multifunctionalities become increasingly important to deliver “smart” vehicles characterized by high system integration and lower manufacturing carbon footprint. The Phase I goal is to develop and demonstrate a new high-performance green composite material with similar specific stiffness and strength to petroleum-based composites, but being more recyclable, having a lower carbon footprint and with significantly reduced total manufacturing energy. Natural fibers including flax and kenaf will be blended with different polymers characterized by different levels of sustainability and performance. Experimental and numerical activities will be performed to optimize the green composite performance at different length scales. The resulting optimized structure will be rated with a rigorous decision matrix and compared against petroleum-based counterparts based on the level of recyclability, production cost, multifunctionality, specific mechanical performance and carbon footprint. Following this Phase I project, the innovative high-performance green composite will be scaled up throughout Phase II and III, leveraging partnerships with key automotive and raw material suppliers. A pilot application such as an electric-vehicle battery enclosure will be targeted to deliver to market more than 10,000 tons of the newly developed low carbon footprint green material by 2029. The innovation will have a wider impact to extensively enable the use of green composites in other high-performance applications in automotive as well as wind rotor blades and hydrogen pressure vessels.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2022
DOE
Novel Design of Bio-Mimetic Helicoid Impact Resistant Fiber-Reinforced Composite Mortar Baseplate
Amount: $259,422 Topic: A214-006
Redacted
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2021
DOD
ARMY