The proposed system analysis in this Phase I SBIR effort will quantify the benefits of hybrid CNT/CFRP composite materials that will enable future aircraft designs with improved performance, safety, and environmental impact. These outcomes will directly support NASA's Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP), which includes various projects that seek to optimize materials, aircraft designs, and manufacturing processes for next generation aircraft. Some of these projects, which involve players such as Aurora and Boeing, include investigations of high aspect-ratio wings for improved fuel efficiency and tailored aeroelastic properties. In addition to aircraft, there are various other NASA applications that can benefit from hybrid CNT/CFRP designs. These applications include vehicle and habitat module structures that support NASA's Space Exploration program. Structures such as the Orion crew module and large cryogenic pressure vessels are mass and cost constrained and will benefit from a lightweight, damage tolerant, multifunctional material system.
Aurora and other manufacturers, including Boeing, are working on next generation aircraft for commercial transport. One such aircraft is the D8 "double-bubble" concept that Aurora and MIT have studied as part of NASA's N+3 program. The D8 configuration, which assumes a mostly-CFRP composite structure, can provide significant improvements in fuel burn, noise levels, and NOx emissions relative to a best-in-class Boeing 737-800 narrow-body aircraft. Integrating a hybrid composite design can improve the strength of certain areas of the D8 with a reduction of CFRP plies, thus reducing weight and improving fuel efficiency. CNTs can also strengthen joints to improve safety while simultaneously reducing weight through minimized number of CFRP plies and mechanical fasteners. Furthermore, large wind turbine blades can also benefit from a hybrid CNT/CFRP material system capable of being laid down by AFP in a low-cost, reliable manner. As wind turbine blades increase in size to produce more energy, a larger quantity of CFRP is being used. The performance of these large wind turbine blades can be improved by CNT reinforcement and conductivity that helps to reduce weight through fewer plies, and minimize downtime of the overall wind turbine that might occur due to cracking, severe icing, and/or lightning strike damage. Minimizing wind turbine downtime will help to keep the cost of an environmentally energy source down.
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