Session: 03-11-03: NASA Thermoplastics Development for Exploration Applications (TDEA)

Paper Number: 137639

137639 - Manufacture, Characterization, and Fusion Welding of Thermoplastic Composites for Space Applications 

The goals of NASA’s Thermoplastic Development for Exploration Applications (TDEA) Project include an assessment of thermoplastic composite joints for space structures by developing and maturing design capabilities, analysis tools and techniques, and manufacturing processes for thermoplastic composites. Through this effort the TDEA project will expand NASA’s in-house thermoplastic composite manufacturing capabilities, develop an understanding of advanced thermoplastic joining techniques relevant to space environments, evaluate the feasibility of reconfigurable composite structures, and advance structural analysis capabilities.

This presentation will provide an overview of the materials and manufacturing effort within the TDEA project. Three semi-crystalline and one amorphous thermoplastic composite materials were selected for initial screening and provided an opportunity to gain manufacturing experience across a range of processing temperatures, rheological behavior, and composite properties.  Equivalency to the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) test report for Toray’s TC1225 material was established to provide confidence in in-house manufacturing and material properties were generated through baseline mechanical tests for each material.  Material characterization data was generated for a subset of materials to (1) provide data for analysis and model development and (2) generate thermal, rheological and conductivity data across relevant temperatures.  A key objective of the TDEA project is evaluation of thermoplastic composite joining processes suitable for in-space operations. This presentation will outline the project’s progress in fusion bonding of candidate materials to assess the quality, reproducibility and strength of the bond, as well as identify limitations to in-space manufacturing.  The feasibility of joint disassembly and reassembly will be discussed.

Presenting Author: Sandi Miller NASA

Presenting Author Biography: Sandi Miller is a Chemical Engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center and has worked at NASA for over 20 years. She has specialized in the development and characterization of nanocomposite materials, supporting research efforts to incorporate nanomaterials into aerospace polymer systems. In addition she has a background in process development and bonding of both thermosetting and thermoplastic matrix composites and is currently the materials lead for NASA’s Technology Development for Exploration Applications project.