Development of Lightweight and Low Cost Advanced Structural Materials for Off-board Surface Vessels (OBVs) Navy STTR FY2006 Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2006 Topic No.: N06-T021 Topic Title: Development of Lightweight and Low Cost Advanced Structural Materials for Off-board Surface Vessels (OBVs) Proposal No.: N064-021-0568 Firm: Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. 3292 E. Hemisphere Loop Tucson, Arizona 85706-5013 Contact: Ranji Vaidyanathan Phone: (520) 434-6392 Web Site: www.acrtucson.com Abstract: The ACR led team proposes an affordable manufacturing technique for complex-geometry composite components to be used as stiffened curvilinear structural panels and variable shaped fuel and ballast tanks for Off-board surface vehicles. Through the use of its AquapourT and AquacoreT water-soluble tooling materials, ACR has previously demonstrated that different composite material systems based on epoxy and BMI types of matrix systems could be fabricated including sandwich composites, while Dr. Jack Gillespie at UD-CCM has successfully performed design and testing of complex composite structures. The Aqua tooling materials are capable of creating composite geometries that could not be fabricated any other way. Benefits: By demonstrating the fabrication of vinyl ester/carbon composites (VE/carbon) using its washable tooling materials, complex geometry parts can be made and inserted into Off-board surface vehicles. Return