Adhesives for Rapid Outfitting and Insulation Attachment

There is an ongoing requirement to reduce the cost and time associated with insulation attachment during outfitting and new construction on naval vessels. Currently, the primary method of attaching insulation on metal surfaces is through the used of welded studs. These studs are attached to decks and bulkheads early in the construction process and are often damaged before the construction process is complete. Any changes or additions late in the construction process require additional “hot-work” which can be expensive to arrange and may damage existing finishes. In addition, welded studs are not an acceptable method for attachment on composite bulkheads. The objective of this proposal is to utilize the epoxy/urethane/acrylate hybrid resins that have been commercialized by Triangle Polymer Technologies to develop a strong, safe, fast curing adhesive material that has the physical and mechanical properties conducive to operation above 300F and under extreme conditions can be easily used in confined shipboard spaces. Our novel hybrid resins have proven adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces and the set time can be altered from under 1 minute to over 1 hour without a change in performance properties. This will produce a dramatic increase in operational effectiveness of all military operations.