Low Friction hybridSil Coatings for Preventing Vehicle Rollover on Concrete Barriers

The objective of this DoT SBIR program is to establish a technical foundation enabling the rapid commercial integration of low friction HybridSil™ coatings on concrete barriers for drastic reductions in vehicle rollover potential. Phase I coatings would have immediate utility within a broad spectrum of concrete barriers designs with readily spray or paint depositions capabilities in traffic environments, independent ballistic / blast durability exceeding any vehicular impact, and environmental / UV resilience in excess of currently available commercial coatings. The HybridSil™ technology for this program is intrinsically suited for long term operation in demanding U.S. highway environments, as it has independently validated ballistic and blast durability against 0.50 cal fragment simulating projectiles (MIL-STD-662F), C4 landmine blast durability, and exceptional resistance to sunlight / UV degradation (ATSM G154 and 155). Additionally, NanoSonic has recently developed an array of low friction HybridSil™ coatings for the U.S. Navy that have resulted in HVAC efficiency (> 30% pressure drop reductions) through pioneering low friction surfaces. Consequently, the technical framework for rapid empirical optimization of NanoSonic’s low friction HybridSil™ coatings for concrete barriers has been established and will provide a catalyst for rapid Phase III transition into multiple DoT applications.