Potting Materials for Support of Test and Weapons Systems Electronics under Extreme High-G Loads and Temperatures

Precision guided munitions with miniaturized weapon fuses are widely used and a primary application for the proposed new generation of potting compounds. There are many polymeric encapsulants for electronics sold commercially and used extensively for printed circuit board applications. Commercial potting compounds can function effectively over a limited time period. Eventually they degrade by several mechanisms and no longer function reliably after extended periods of storage. The current commercial potting compound systems won"t meet the requirements of this solicitation. Deployment of new weapons that utilize miniaturized electronics must be protected by polymeric potted materials from environmental, thermal, and mechanical stresses over many years. This requires new material developments. TRI/Austin proposes the development and testing of an innovative polymeric potting compound which will meet these demanding requirements. Experimental design techniques will be utilized for systematically developing the optimized formulation resulting in a unique, low cost, high strength, low modulus potting compound that retains its mechanical properties over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. Protective properties of the potting compositions will be verified by an extensive test program throughout the Phase I effort. This systematic experimental design development approach is a very effective method for the development of new materials.