Bally Ribbon Mills
3D composite materials

NASA Recognizes BRM for Advanced 3D Thermal Material

May 17, 2018
Bally Ribbon Mills has received a Space Technology Award from NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) for its advanced materials.

Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM) has received a prestigious Space Technology Award from NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) for weaving the 3D material used to support NASA’s heat shield for extreme entry environment technology team. That team is developing a new thermal protection system (TPS) that relies on specialized weaving in the manufacture of aircraft parts made of carbon composite materials with outstanding thermal properties.

“The STMD community sincerely appreciates your hard work, leadership, and dedication to providing NASA and the Nation with revolutionary new technologies and capabilities,” said STMD’s Associated Administrator Stephen G. Jurczyk. “Congratulations on your hard work and dedication to ensuring the success of our Mission Directorate.”

Manufacturing these TPS materials involves the accurate placement of fibers of different compositions and variable yarn densities in a 3D structure (see figure). By interconnecting the woven material in the third dimension, materials can be created that are considerably more robust than traditional 2D woven materials. Once the 3D structure is formed, the panels are infused with resins and cured to lock the fibers in place. The weave patterns are optimized with the aid of advanced modeling, design, and manufacturing tools to provide the performance capabilities needed by NASA for space-critical applications.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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