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Development of polyetherimide composites for use as 3D printed thermal protection material

  • Composites & nanocomposites
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Abstract

As additive manufacturing (AM) increasingly gains commercial and academic interest, government agencies, such as NASA Johnson Space Center, seek to produce thermal protection systems using AM methods, such as fused filament fabrication (FFF). The purpose of this study is to develop a suitable polyetherimide (ULTEM™ 1010) nanocomposite with enhanced ablation and thermal properties while maintaining compatibility with commercially available FFF machines. Eleven formulations were compounded using the twin-screw extruder with varying amounts of nanoclay, glass bubbles, and flame-retardant additives. All formulations were characterized via multiple instruments to be down-selected to four candidates for aerothermal testing. After discovering specific characteristics of some formulations, aerothermal test models were 3D printed for four formulations. Enhanced thermal properties among the composite formulations were demonstrated. Aerothermal testing also displayed promising results. In addition to experimental data, microstructural analyses were performed.

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(Courtesy of Essentium)

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(Courtesy of Essentium)

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NASA SAT Award under grant reference #80NSSC18P0735. The authors would like to thank Stan Bouslog and his team at NASA Johnson Space Center for guiding our team throughout this project; Justin Smith, Max Reinert, Christina Cuellar-Nelson, McKenzie Harrison, and Ashlyn Zare for working on this project via the University of Texas at Austin’s Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Project program; Kevin Holder of Essentium, Inc. for preparing the formulations and printing the aerothermal test models; and Benton Green at the University of Texas at Austin’s Aerospace Department for his assistance in operating the ICP instrument.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Steven Kim, Alexa Devega, Mallory Sico & Joseph H. Koo

  2. KAI, LLC, Austin, TX, 78739, USA

    Steven Kim, Hao Wu, William Fahy & Joseph H. Koo

  3. Plastics and Composites Engineering, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9063, USA

    John Misasi

  4. Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32310-6046, USA

    Tarik Dickens

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  1. Steven Kim
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Correspondence to Joseph H. Koo.

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Kim, S., Wu, H., Devega, A. et al. Development of polyetherimide composites for use as 3D printed thermal protection material. J Mater Sci 55, 9396–9413 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04676-6

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