This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is devoted to establishing a low cost manufacturing technology for 2-D C-C composites. Carbon-carbon composites exhibit unique properties and are enabling to a number of aerospace and automobile applications. Over the past several decades, the U.S. has expended extensive efforts on R&D of these composites. Recent changes in defense has severely curtailed R&D in C-C composites causing several large aerospace organizations to cease their operations. At the same time, foreign sources are intensifying their efforts leading to an advantage over the U.S. competitively in this technology. Lowering the manufacturing cost of C-C composites would inevitably open an entirely new perspective for these materials. This proposal offers a unique, well-balanced approach that has the potential to reduce cost to less than $100/lb. for high quality composites. The principal investigator and MER have extensive experience in the area of C-C composites providing a solid base to achieve the objectives of the project.
