NASA SBIR 2007 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Lawrie Technology, Inc.
227 Hathaway E
Girard, PA 16417 - 1552
(814) 746-4125

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Duncan Lawrie
duncan@lawrietechnology.com
227 Hathaway E
Girard, PA 16417 - 1552
(814) 746-4125

Expected Technology Readiness Level (TRL) upon completion of contract: 6 to 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
An all-composite driveshaft incorporating integral flexible diaphragms is described and proposed for phase II prime conractor testing. The approach obsoletes the split lines required to attach metallic flex elements and either metallic or composite spacing tubes in current solutions. Sub-critical driveshaft weights half that of incumbent technology are achievable for typical rotary wing shaft lengths. Spacing tubes are described, which comprise an integral part of the initial tooling but which remain part of the finished shaft and control natural frequencies and torsional stability. A concurrently engineered manufacturing process and design for performance is described which competes with incumbent solutions at significantly lower weight and with the probability of improved damage tolerance and fatigue life. This phase II proposal seeks to produce additional fatigue test articles to supplement the pair of shafts provided during phase I for static evelauation. The phase II effort will also support the prime contractor test program designed to raise Technology Readiness Level to 6-7.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The rotary wing subtopic 2.10 includes both materials & structures and propulsion components requiring lower weight and higher performance in power transmission components. These include tail rotor drives, tilt-rotor cross-over drives, and tandem rotor connection shafts. Current technology has not changed in decades as it concerns motion accomodating, high torque density driveshafts. Enhanced mission availability and cost reduction can be obtained via the reduced part count and improved fatigue performance already established by this fully integral, all-composite driveshaft technology. Further refinement and preparation of flight qualification test articles is proposed and, once fielded, NASA and NASA partners will also benefit from increased payload.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
In addition to both military and commercial rotary wing programs other extremely weight sensitive driveshaft applications include JSF lift fan flxible shafts and Navy hovercraft/air cushion landing craft. General industrial applications likely to benefit most include very high speed turbomachinery relying on long titanium spacing tubes to stay sub-critical.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Aircraft Engines Airframe Composites Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) Energy Storage Fluid Storage and Handling Structural Modeling and Tools Waste Processing and Reclamation