C3HARME | NEXT GENERATION CERAMIC COMPOSITES FOR COMBUSTION HARSH ENVIRONMENTS AND SPACE

Original description

There is an increasing demand for advanced materials with temperature capability in highly corrosive environments for aerospace. Rocket nozzles of solid/hybrid rocket motors must survive harsh thermochemical and mechanical environments produced by high performance solid propellants (2700-3500°C). Thermal protection systems (TPS) for space vehicles flying at Mach 7 must withstand projected service temperatures up to 2500°C associated to convective heat fluxes up to 15 MWm-2 and intense mechanical vibrations at launch and re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The combination of extremely hot temperatures, chemically aggressive environments and rapid heating/cooling is beyond the capabilities of current materials. Main purpose of C3HARME is to design, develop, manufacture, test and validate a new class of out-performing, reliable, cost-effective and scalable Ultra High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites (UHTCMCs) based on C or SiC fibres/preforms enriched with ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) capable of in-situ repairing damage induced during operation in severe aerospace environments. C3HARME will apply to two main applications: near-ZERO erosion rocket nozzles that must maintain dimensional stability during firing in combustion chambers, and near-ZERO ablation thermal protection systems enabling hypersonic space vehicles to maintain flight performance. C3HARME represents a well-balanced mix of innovative and consolidated technologies, mitigating the level of risk intrinsic in top-notch research and innovation development. C3HARME starts from TRL of 3-4 and focuses on TRL 6 thanks to a strong industrial partnership, including SMEs and large companies. To reach TRL 6, rocket nozzles and TPS tiles with realistic dimensions and shape will be fabricated, assembled into a suitable system, and validated in a relevant ambient (environment centered test). Project results could be easily extended to the energy, medical and/or nuclear environments.

Status

CLOSED

Url

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/685594

Call topic

NMP-19-2015

Update Date

27-10-2022