NASA SBIR 2009 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Cornerstone Research Group, Inc.
2750 Indian Ripple Road
Dayton, OH 45440 - 3638
(937) 320-1877

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Joel J Everhart
everhartjj@crgrp.com
2750 Indian Ripple Road
Dayton, OH 45440 - 3638
(937) 320-1877 Extension :1144

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
CRG's shape memory polymer (SMP) tooling technologies, Smart Tooling, offer cutting-edge manufacturing solutions that can meet the construction needs of all future composite platforms and systems. Development and implementation of Smart Tooling, Smart Mandrels and SMP Bladders, offers end users significant opportunities to save direct expense for tooling cost and manufacturing labor to fabricate complex geometry and trapped composites. CRG's concept for a high temperature mandrel product is to leverage a proven Smart Mandrel process and replace the current material system with a novel SMP capable of remaining rigid at the 350 F laminate cure temperatures then softening following cure for extraction.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
CRG has identified multiple composite applications that stand to benefit from integration of Smart Tooling into the fabrication process. These composites include stringer stiffened skins, composite fairings, ducts, and tanks. In addition to these applications the demonstration of a high temperature Smart Mandrel product will result in the products applicability to large dry structures such as the Ares main body.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Applications of Smart Tooling to non-NASA applications includes primary aerospace structures, automotive components and body panels, structural architecture applications, wind energy, and others. CRG has had success selling the Smart Tooling product line to these industries as demonstrated by a total of 20 million dollars in sales over the last 4 years.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (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.)

Composites Launch and Flight Vehicle