Supersonic Technology Named Nasa Commerical Invention of 2008

July 08, 2009

Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761


Chris Rink
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-6786


RELEASE: 09-157

SUPERSONIC TECHNOLOGY NAMED NASA COMMERICAL INVENTION OF 2008

HAMPTON, Va. -- The 2008 NASA Commercial Invention of the Year is a
high temperature resin designed to create composites through low-cost
manufacturing processes -- ideal for advanced aerospace vehicles.

Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., were
able to create the unique material, which is ideal for the high
temperatures of supersonic flight. The material, known as PETI-330,
is used in the development of advanced composite fabrication
technology for the agency's aeronautics supersonics program. PETI-330
is patented as "Composition of and Method for Making High Performance
Resins for Infusion and Transfer Molding Processes."

In the late 1980s, NASA's High-Speed Research Program began to
develop
high performance, high temperature resins that could be used to
fabricate carbon fiber reinforced composites. The resins potentially
would be useful on advanced aerospace vehicle structures and aircraft
engine components such as inlets and compressor vanes. A resin called
PETI-5 was developed that met a number of the program's goals.

Continued research for a resin that would be useful for the
fabrication of composites by low-cost manufacturing methods led to
PETI-330. It is the first commercially available, off-the-shelf, high
temperature resin that has processing characteristics useful for
resin infusion, resin transfer molding and the vacuum-assisted resin
transfer molding manufacturing processes.

The finished product of PETI-330 has the strength and high
temperature
properties ideal for large structures exposed to hot temperatures,
offering a combination of processability, high temperature
performance and toughness ideal for high performance aerospace
vehicles. PETI-330 and the vacuum process are of interest to the
aerospace industry because of a combination of weight reduction and
manufacturing cost savings.

The inventors, John Connell, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Paul
Hergenrother,
all from Langley, will be honored at the 2010 NASA Project Management
Challenge in Galveston, Texas. Ube America, a division of Ube
Industries, Inc., licensed the technology from NASA.

NASA's general counsel selects the Invention of the Year Award with
technical assistance from NASA's Inventions and Contributions Board.
For more information about NASA's Inventions and Contributions Board,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/icb

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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