Innovative material and structural concepts that provide reductions in mass and volume for next generation space vehicles shows up as a key focus area in nearly all NASA and Air Force technology roadmaps for futuristic high speed airframes.
Aggressive competition among the big three jet engine manufacturers has led to several advanced applications of composite hot structures in next generation commercial aircraft engines. Such swift implementation virtually guarantees that subsequent improvements will follow, and that larger and more integrated structural components will be designed that can benefit from the integrated structural approach proposed in this STTR.
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