High Activation Temperature Intumescent Material Passive Fire Protection Technique for Aircraft Engine Nacelle

Fires in engine nacelles are a life threatening situation.  The development of an intumescent coating that creates an instant firewall to extinguish such fires, primarily from fuel line leaks represents a significant life and aircraft saving advance.  METSS proposes to develop an intumescent coating that will expand to construct a firewall within 10 seconds of flame impingement. This coating will not activate until the local temperature exceeds 300°F.  The coating material will be operationally stable between -50°F and 160°F.  The key technical advances being proposed are the stabilization of the intumescent char to high velocity airflow (5 lbsm/sec) and expansion of the coating to at least 1 inch of thickness to create the firewall.  METSS coating will be nonflammable according to MIL-PRF-32161, and be applicable to the engine nacelle by existing coating methods. The technology proposed for this material has been shown to be successful in previous work, providing METSS with strong confidence for success. BENEFITS: The ability to create a strong, durable intumescent coating for aircraft engine nacelles is, in itself, a significant feature.  Such a coating has widespread applications beyond engine nacelles, however.  The need for a fast reacting, durable intumescent coatings has applicability in land based vehicles, ships, hospitals, schools, chemical plants, buildings, and any other structure that is potentially a victim of fire. Consequently, the work conducted in this SBIR program will impact both DoD and commercial markets. Fire inhibition and containment is a major national problem and METSS has significant experience in this technical area.