Innovative Concepts for Low Cost, Light Weight, Highly Durable, Tooling for Composite Structural Component Fabrication Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Topic No.: N121-033 Topic Title: Innovative Concepts for Low Cost, Light Weight, Highly Durable, Tooling for Composite Structural Component Fabrication Proposal No.: N121-033-0496 Firm: Materials Innovation Technologies, LLC 320 Rutledge Road Fletcher, North Carolina 28732-9328 Contact: Mark Janney Phone: (828) 651-9646 Web Site: www.emergingmit.com Abstract: This project will develop a low-cost tooling system for prepreg composite molding capable of processing epoxy-and BMI- matrix composites at temperatures of 400F (205C). Such a tooling system would be applicable to advanced airframe components including both military applications and commercial applications. We have identified a family of composite materials based on Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) that has the potential to fulfill all of the requirements of a tooling system form molding epoxy-and BMI- matrix composites. Most importantly, the cost of the raw materials and of the processing that goes into the fabrication of near-net-shape tools made from UHPFRC is very low compared with the costs for Invar or for carbon fiber composite tooling. We estimate that the cost of UHPFRC composite tooling could be 10 to 20% the cost of Invar and carbon fiber composite tooling. We are confident that once acceptable formulations (based on their strength, stiffness, thermal expansion, durability, and achievable tolerances) are developed, the cost of making UHPFRC tools will be low enough to be a "game changer" regarding how air vehicle composite parts made by lay-up and autoclave curing are developed and fabricated. Benefits: The broader impacts/commercial potential of the proposed activity will be to accelerate the insertion of advanced composite materials into automotive and aerospace applications. Advanced composites represent a way to remove weight from aircraft, auto�mobiles, trucks, buses, etc. The use of advanced composites can reduce the mass of a component by 30 to 50 %. These mass reductions map directly into fuel savings in the vehicles. The commercial potential for inexpensive tooling is large. The high cost of current prototype tooling establishes a set of conditions in which many parts that might be useful in automotive and aerospace applications are never evaluated. The development of low-cost prototyping tooling can only serve to accelerate the adoption of composites by making it easier and cheaper to trial those materials in particular applications. Tool making is a big business for the composites industry. A significant business opportunity exists for our company and to potential licensees of the technology. Return