Environmental Boundary System

To address the Air Force need for an environmental boundary to shield aircraft surfaces from environmental contaminates during in-field repair, ChromoLogic proposes to develop a new secure anchoring environmental boundary (OCTOPUS) as an environmental boundary that protects composite aircraft surfaces during repair.  The self-contained boundary requires no external power sources yet firmly mounts to any aircraft surface without using residue generating adhesives in a variety of orientations (even upside down) while providing clear view of the repair area and comfortable hand and tool access.  The novel anchoring approach enables OCTOPUS to easily withstand high winds and typical bumps unavoidable during repairs while still being able to be quickly deployed and stowed.  In Phase I ChromoLogic will demonstrate the feasibility of OCTOPUS by developing a proof of concept prototype, which will show its ability to meet the Air Forces needs.  In Phase II we plan to develop a near-production prototype, and demonstrate that it can protect aircraft surfaces during real world applications. BENEFIT: Military applications of the OCTOPUS will include in-field repair of composite structures of vehicles such as aircraft, watercraft, and lightweight ground vehicles.  It can be incorporated into the repair capabilities of in-field repair teams.  OCTOPUS and derived product lines will also have applications in the marine maintenance industry for repair of composite boat hulls and decks.  In addition, coupling OCTOPUS with a HEPA filter or other environmental control system (e.g. humidity, temperature, etc.) will create a portable environmental chamber (or clean room) for more sensitive applications.