ADVANCED MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF ELECTROMAGNETICALLY FUNCTIONALIZED COMPOSITES
Abstract
In this proposal investigators from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)and the Center for Composite Materials (CCM) at the University of Delaware request funds todevelop a critical material development capability for the additive manufacture ofelectromagnetically functionalized composite structures. When completed this capability willenable us to design and rapidly prototype advanced multifunctional composite materials thatpossess unique mechanical and electromagnetic (EM) properties. The prop"osed system iscomprised of a polymer compounder/extruder and a three-roll-mill for developing customizedinks, pastes and polymer f""ilaments with integrated electromagnetic properties. This system, whencombined with the University of Delaware~s current additive a""nd composite manufacturingcapabilities, will allow rapid end-to-end prototyping and testing of new concepts in structuralcomposite""s with integrated EM functionality. Specifically, the proposed material developmentsystem is composed of two critical pieces of equ"ipment: (1) a ThermoFisher Polylabcompounder/extruder (Figure 1a) and (2) an EXAKT 120EH-250 three-roll-mill (Figure 1b). ThePolylab extruder will be used to develop customized polymer filaments that have beenelectromagnetically loaded with filler materials suc"h as high dielectric constant powders, magneticnano-particles and conductive particles (e.g., carbon black, carbon nanotubes or gra"phene). TheEXAKT three-roll-mill will be used to develop customized inks and pastes that have beenelectromagnetically loaded with various functional particles. Ink composition will be tailored toachieve the desired viscosity and particle loading for the target application. These inks and pasteswill then be printed via either 3D micro-dispensing or screen printing to realize woven fabricbasedstructural composites with integrated EM properties. We stress that there are currently nocommercial suppliers that provide pol"ymer filaments, 3D printable inks or pastes that havecustomizable EM properties. Thus, the proposed system will provide a crucial c"apability for usand our DoD collaborators.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712988
Entities
People
- Mark S. Mirotznik
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Delaware