The goal of our ULI was to address technology barriers in manufacturing of complex geometry composite parts for UAM and commercial air platforms, meeting aerospace performance at automotive-like production rates, and to transition technology to our industrial partners followed by the US industrial base. We propose to use our revolutionary highly aligned short fiber technology (called TuFF or Tailorable universal Feedstock for Forming) that can be stamped into complex shapes like sheet metal at high rate, while retaining continuous fiber equivalent properties and aerospace quality. The Technical Challenge addressed in the ULI is to develop a science-based part/process design methodology for TuFF composites, as well as demonstrate at rate manufacturing capability of TuFF complex geometry UAM parts.
Center for Composite Materials