NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) is a low density, low strength material that generally must be isolated from mechanically and thermally induced deformations and strains of the underlying heat shield carrier structure. One type of PICA configuration consists of discrete blocks of PICA material bonded to a fibrous strain isolation pad (SIP) which is then bonded to the underlying carrier structure. The PICA blocks, SIP, and gaps between blocks must be designed to accommodate all carrier structure deformations without overstressing and damaging the PICA material. Open gaps between blocks of PICA could prevent overstressing the material, but could lead to damaging hot gas flow in the gaps and catastrophic damage to the underlying carrier structure. Thus, the gaps must be filled with a material. Different approaches have been proposed, such as Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) adhesives and fibrous gap fillers. Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed an alternate heat shield concept using interlocking blocks of PICA. The blocks are independent from one another and there is a defined gap between the blocks. That gap poses serious problems to heat shield integrity if gases flow between the PICA blocks. This invention is a simple yet robust invention for PICA block gap filler. Strips of preconditioned PICA blocks are positioned edgewise to fill gaps between PICA block to provide a gap-filler substance that allows thermal expansion, and accomodates mechanical strain between the PICA tiles and substructure. This eliminates gaps between adjacent PICA blocks while allowing the blocks to remain structurally decoupled. It can also provide a verified bond between PICA blocks that provides a secondary attachment that can prevent a PICA block from detaching from the heat shield even if its primary bond to the structure fails. NASA is seeking to license this technology commercially. US Patent 9,051,063. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to
[email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide the nature of your interest in the technology along with a brief background of your company. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov/ . These responses are provided to members of NASA Langley’s Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development “OSACB” for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.