Flexible TPS

The Team of Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), the University of Colorado and Teledyne Scientific will design, build and test a prototype flap for flight control of a hypersonic vehicle using PSI’s flexible ceramic composite technology developed during the Phase I program. During Phase I the Team demonstrated that PSI’s flexible carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) was resistant to bend fatigue at radii as small as 3” for thousands of cycles. The Team also used laser heating to demonstrate that flexible C/SiC has thermal resistance comparable to conventional C/SiC laminates. During the Phase II program the Team will demonstrate that PSI’s ultrahigh temperature C/SiC can be fabricated in flexible form and has similar bend fatigue durability as the baseline flexible C/SiC. The Team will also demonstrate that the flexible C/SiC materials retain bend fatigue resistance at high (> 2000°F) temperature. The Team will develop the fabrication protocols necessary to build complex shaped flexible structures and demonstrate a prototype flap constructed using the technology. Approved for Public Release | 22-MDA-11102 (22 Mar 22)