Geometry- and Performance-Tailored Composites for Advanced Sabots (1001-192) Navy SBIR FY2008.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2008.1 Topic No.: N08-053 Topic Title: Geometry- and Performance-Tailored Composites for Advanced Sabots (1001-192) Proposal No.: N081-053-0015 Firm: TRITON SYSTEMS, INC. 200 TURNPIKE ROAD Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01824 Contact: James Gorman Phone: (978) 250-4200 Web Site: www.tritonsys.com Abstract: Triton Systems Inc., in collaboration with BAE Systems and Specialty Materials Inc. of Lowell MA, proposes to develop an extremely lightweight Boron composite sabot for hypervelocity Navy fire support projectiles, in order to substantially reduce parasitic mass and improve projectile accuracy, thus improving overall projectile effectiveness. The proposed sabot consists of three major elements:  An inner, segmented conical frustum, conformal with the sharp cone projectile, and fabricated from Boron/Epoxy composite.  Forward and aft bore riders, fabricated of a Boron/Epoxy composite or a hybrid Boron-Graphite/Epoxy composite. While tradeoffs are planned during the Phase I to optimize the selection of materials, the Boron/Epoxy composites from Specialty Materials Inc. show weight specific compression strengths nearly 10 times those of high strength Aluminum and Titanium alloys and 70% higher than corresponding graphite/epoxy composites. During the Phase I, Triton will identify and trade-off promising sabot construction materials and architectures, selecting both an optimum configuration and manufacturing method. Trial components will be fabricated of simplified geometry and subjected to both static compression tests and gun launch environments. During the Option Phase the sabot system configuration will be updated based upon Phase I testing results, and more representative pre-prototype models fabricated for delivery to NSWCD-D. Benefits: The cost-effective fabrication of Boron composite sabots for Navy surface fire support applications will substantially reduce the parasitic mass of sabot systems in comparison with high strength metallic sabots (Aluminum and Titanium) currently being used in rail gun development. The combination of lighter weight with improved aerodynamic design will furthermore minimize tipoff rates applied to the projectile upon muzzle exit, thus improving railgun ballistic accuracy. The successful example of a challenging Boron composite application will assist in expanding the scope of Boron fiber usage for applications where extremely high compression strength is required. For example, the railgun projectiles may usefully be fabricated from Boron/epoxy or perhaps Boron-Aluminum or Boron-Magnesium metal matrix composites. Return