USM’s Polymer Expertise Leads to Collaboration on Federal Grant to Improve Hypersonic Airframe Components
Mon, 11/06/2023 - 09:33am | By: Van Arnold
Polymer researchers at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) are providing their expertise to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) program contract - that includes a $38 million ceiling - with the goal of developing ways to improve manufacturing of hypersonic airframe components.
USM will collaborate with the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Computing as well as Columbia, S.C.-based Integer Technologies on the transformative project. S2MARTS is managed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Indiana and supported by the Office of the Secretary Defense to provide innovative technology solutions to address current and future security threats.
Due to increasing geopolitical tensions, the demand for quality high-temperature composite aerospace components has increased in importance. The USM team’s contribution is molecular design and scale-up of matrix polymers that withstand the stringent thermal and mechanical requirements necessary for these components to survive under these extreme conditions.
Dr. Jeff Wiggins, Bennett Distinguished Professor in USM’s School of Polymer Science and Engineering (SPSE), points out that collaboration on such a high-profile project underscores the expertise of USM polymer scientists.
“Programs such as S2MARTS highlight how the expertise of researchers at USM contribute to the advancement of critical areas of need at the national level, and how these relations contribute to training Mississippians for lifelong contributions in science and engineering,” said Wiggins. “The new requirement for hypersonic materials demonstrates how USM researchers continue to pivot their research activities toward new and contemporary advancements that currently do not exist in order to truly remain on the cutting-edge of research and education.”
The University of South Carolina will be charged with developing digital engineering tools and automated evaluation technologies to ensure quality at increased rates of production. Wiggins notes that SPSE faculty and students have been collaborating with researchers at the University of South Carolina Ronald E. McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research over the past four years on a NASA University Leadership initiative program that has gained national attention for the advancement of next generation aerospace composite materials and manufacturing processes.
Wiggins explains that hypersonic materials, or materials that can perform under extreme temperatures, such as the re-entry of vehicles from space missions, is a recognized area of national interest and need.
“Our contributions spearhead advancement of next generation polymer and composite materials developments, while the University of South Carolina’s contributions lead the advancement of next generation composite processing and parts fabrication,” said Wiggins. “The synergies and the successes demonstrated for NASA between these programs has gained national notoriety, and this program is built upon the recognition of the USM-University of South Carolina research efforts established through NASA.”
An expected outcome of the project is a new high-rate manufacturing process for high temperature composites. The project gives student researchers real-world experience and training in a high-demand STEM career field.
“Our country needs not only new materials that can survive these requirements, but equally important future science and engineering workforce that understands these needs,” he said. “USM researchers are perfectly suited to make significant contributions in the molecular level design of next generation polymers capable of surviving these extreme environments in application while integrating these requirements into the research activities of our student to ensure future workforce needs are met.”
To learn more about the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at USM, call 601.266.4868.