Current spacecraft implement relatively uncoupled material and structural systems to address a variety of design requirements, including structural integrity, damage tolerance, radiation protection, debris shielding and thermal insulation. This investigation provided an initial assessment of multi-functional sandwich composites to integrate these diverse requirements. The need for radiation shielding was addressed through the selection of polymeric constituents with high hydrogen content. To provide increased damage tolerance and debris shielding, manufacturing techniques were developed to incorporate transverse stitching reinforcement, internal layers, and a self-healing ionomer membrane. To assess the effects of a space environment, thermal expansion behavior of the candidate foam materials was investigated under a vacuum and increasing temperature. Finally, a thermal expansion model was developed for foam under vacuum conditions and its predictive capability assessed.

This report identifies outstanding safety issues and research needs for Plastics and Composite Intensive Vehicles (PCIV) to facilitate their safe deployment by 2020. A PCIV definition is proposed, which ensures that the weight and efficiency objectives are prerequisite. Potential safety benefits of automotive plastics and composites are reviewed, and safety specifications associated with each level of the Building Block approach are presented. Lessons learned from the racing industry and from limited production, high-performance supercars with extensive use of composite materials are summarized. Changes and additions to test and evaluation procedures due to PCIVs are discussed, with a focus on ensuring their compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Progress is summarized and research recommendations proposed in three topic areas pertinent to crashworthiness of PCIVs: material databases, crashworthiness test method development, and crash modeling.