Method for Removal of Airfield Paint Markings and Aircraft Tire Rubber Build-up from Installed AM2 Mat Surfaces

There are several challenges in maintenance of Expeditionary Airfields (EAFs) for which there is currently no suitable solution, such as the removal of unwanted paint markings or tire rubber build-up which can adversely impact the nonskid performance. There is an urgent need for a process which can remove these unwanted materials while leaving the AM2 mat in place. Atmospheric Plasma Solutions, Inc. (APS) has developed a revolutionary Atmospheric Plasma Coating Removal technology (APCR) that can effectively remove paint and other organic materials from a wide variety of substrates by producing a cold, atmospheric pressure plasma, which converts the organic surface contaminants into CO2, water vapor, and inorganic particulates. APS successfully completed the Phase I Base of this project, the results of which have successfully demonstrated the use of air plasma beam to effectively remove paint markings, tire rubber, and other contaminants from AM2 mat surfaces without degradation of the underlying non-skid coating. The proposed Phase II work will focus on the critical tasks necessary to scale up the technology, refine the process, and demonstrate a large-scale prototype device, that can be be transitioned into a field-ready tool for DoD use.