Award Data

Through this DLA STTR program, NanoSonic and Penn State will work with a major US manufacturer of missile systems and hypersonic vehicles. Together we will demonstrate automated filament winding and resin transfer molding manufacturing processes to produce high temperature thermal protection system (TPS) materials and evaluate material properties to develop production statistics and quality contro ...

Re-Entry Vehicles (RVs) are a critical component of the strategic weapon arsenal. While physics packages themselves have a substantial deterrence value, the ability to deliver those weapons quickly and with high survivability unlocks the ability to maintain a truly global deterrence. However, these thermal protection systems are encountering two developing challenges: Industrial Base Attrition: Th ...

Specialized materials such as Carbon-Carbon (C-C) are required as primary structural and thermal protection elements to sustain the severe temperatures on the surface of Hypersonic Vehicles during high-speed flight. The C-C material currently qualified at Northrop in Hypersonic Glide-Bodies or “Aeroshells” consist of phenolic resin and a low fired, stretch broken polyacrylonitrile fiber (LFSP ...

As Hypersonic weapons enter the US arsenal there is a need for cost control and high rate of production which is currently not being met by the current state of the art material systems, like Carbon-Carbon. What is needed is a Thermal Protection System (TPS) for aero structures that can survive the Hypersonic environments of high heat in oxygenated environments. A means to do this is using Peregr ...

The national imperative to field hypersonic weapon systems has increased the demand for robust, lightweight, and affordable high temperature materials for thermal protection systems.  Refractory composites such as carbon-carbon (C/C) or carbon/SiC (C/SiC) offer enormous promise, but wider-scale acceptance continues to be hindered by certain technical and affordability limitations.  Key among the ...

Lithium-ion battery systems are proliferating across military and commercial markets. Due to their high energy and compelling power densities, lithium based batteries are an ideal match for long and demanding missions and are being integrated into more critical systems every day. ​​​​​​​As more and more batteries are introduced to mission and safety critical systems it has become all ...

The US missile defense industry employes extensive usage of silica fabric reinforced composites in nozzle, motor case, leading and control surface insulation. Silica fabric reinforced phenolic insulators have been designed into strategic and tactical propulsion systems since the 1950s.  The original systems using molded silica phenolic nozzles and insulators for metal structure were pathfinders f ...

The objective of this Phase I project is to develop low cost, rapid-setting-all-weather concrete materials that can be applied to craters, making damaged runways operational in less than 24 hours from the start of repair, requiring minimal logistical support, power, and requirements under extreme conditions. The materials will have the flexibility to repair everything from potholes to full-size cr ...

Diminishing manufacturing source problems continue to cause shortages for critical DoD weapons systems, negatively impacting readiness. Subcomponents become obsolete and manufacturers stop supporting parts, and it becomes difficult for the government to acquire approved parts at a fair or reasonable price — or at any price.This scenario is the case for NSN 2840-0038-64656, the thermocouple cover ...

Digital twins mirror a real-world system to let designers and engineers examine in realistic detail how different conditions will affect it. However with their deployments, digital twins literally open their own cyberattack surfaces. Without cyber means of protection, digital twins can provide cyber criminals with a new way to access and exploit sensitive information. Another concern is that digit ...