Low Cost / Rapidly Producible Booster Insulation Methods

SBIR topic MDA27BZ02-DV007 (U.S. Department of Defense – Missile Defense Agency), Phase I and II. Open to U.S. small businesses. Opens: December 2, 2026. Closes: January 6, 2027. Solid propellant rockets use insulation to protect motor cases from the high temperature combustion gases and, in the case of composite cases, prevent egress of gases. Heritage methods for insulating motor cases utilize filled polymers with low thermal conductivities which absorb heat as they decompose. The insulation layer is typically applied through time consuming processes on custom mandrels which require significant manual labor. The Government seeks novel insulation material/processing technologies which reduce insulation processing time and/or cost compared to legacy processes for a variety of motor case geometries and sizes. The primary motor case materials of interest for this solicitation are polymer matrix composites, though applicability to metallic cases is also desirable. Proposals developing reusable or low-cost consumable mandrels which can be easily and quickly removed after insulation lay-up and winding are also of interest. The proposed insulation solution must consider stress limitations in the propellant with variations in temperature during storage and operation. The proposed insulation technology should also meet or exceed the insulating ability of the current state of the art with equal or lower inert mass with an increased production rate and/or lower per unit price. Official solicitation: https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/