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Long Life, High Performance Composite Clutch Plates
Navy SBIR FY2012.1
| Sol No.: |
Navy SBIR FY2012.1 |
| Topic No.: |
N121-023 |
| Topic Title: |
Long Life, High Performance Composite Clutch Plates |
| Proposal No.: |
N121-023-0912 |
| Firm: |
Physical Sciences Inc.
20 New England Business Center
Andover, Massachusetts 01810-1077 |
| Contact: |
Frederick Lauten |
| Phone: |
(978) 689-0003 |
| Web Site: |
http://www.psicorp.com |
| Abstract: |
Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and our team members will develop advanced composite lift fan clutch plates that exceed the wear lives of the current clutch plates by a factor of three or more. The carbon-carbon clutch plates currently used on the STOVL version of JSF, F-35B, can meet a 1,500 engagement life, but this is less than half of the desired lifetime. Reaching the desired clutch lifetime would minimize maintenance, repair and overhaul costs and maximize mission availability of the F-35B. Successfully transitioned, PSI's longer lasting clutch plates would save more than $42M for each major overhaul of the United States F-35B fleet.
The PSI team will develop our high thermal conductivity, low wear Hi-K composite clutch materials for the lift fan application. During the Phase I program we will produce and test full-size clutch plates at conditions representative of those encountered in the actual JSF clutch. As a result of this work, we will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of successfully developing clutch plates that: 1) have significantly reduced wear rates, 2) maintain consistent coefficient of frictions (COF) higher than C/C, 3) do not warp during use,and 4) meet a balance requirement of less than 5 grams-inches for each plate.
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| Benefits: |
The first focus of our commercial transition is to improve the performance of lift fan clutch assemblies. This is perhaps the most demanding of clutch or brake applications. Successfully transitioned, PSI's longer lasting clutch plates would save more than $42M for each major overhaul of the United States F-35B fleet, and $120M for our partner countries'. This would result in many $100 millions of savings over the lifetime of the fleet.
The aircraft and ground vehicle brake market is many billions of dollars, and these are the markets most important to our industrial partners. They believe a successful PSI Hi-K composite could significantly impact the $1-$2Billion aircraft market, if not also niche ground vehicles.
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