Advanced Composite Structures Australia (ACS-A, Melbourne, Australia) is investing in the development and manufacture of ultra-high-temperature composites for hypersonic and space structures. This will place ACS-A at the forefront of developing Australian industrial sovereign capability in hypersonic composites component production.

Recently, ACS-A was awarded a $240,000 Australian Government Defence Global Competitiveness Grant to increase production rate and reduce the manufacturing cost of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) components for defense applications. This funding is supporting the procurement of specialized infrastructure to enable the production of ultra-high-temperature composites, including ultra-high-temperature furnaces.

According to ACS-A certain composite material components can withstand temperatures up to 2,500°C, well beyond the capability of conventional materials. This enables flight vehicles to travel for sustained periods at hypersonic speeds and resist high-heat loads generated from complex aerodynamic flow regimes.

At present, however, ultra-high-temperature composites component production is complex, costly and involves advanced manufacturing processes that require highly skilled people. As a result, ACS-A is investing in the acquisition of specialized equipment and development of processes to enable automated manufacture of these materials.

“ACS-A delivers high-value engineering and manufacturing services, providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ enabling customers to fast-track their product to market,” Dr. Paul Falzon, general manager of Advanced Composite Structures Australia, says. “Our engineering team and facilities are continually evolving to meet the future needs of the space and defense sectors. Hypersonics is the next frontier and ACS-A is well placed to transform this into reality.”

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