Innovative Thermal/Chemical Resistant Coating Material

Munitions containment for storage and transport requires protection of the contents from prolonged exposure to heat, incendiaries and accidental ballistic fragments. Commercial thermal paints have demonstrated successful results in this regard when exposed to fast cook off at approximately 1500 F. However, other tests have indicated these coatings are incapable of surviving rough handling, such as the -65 F drop test, or decontamination after exposure to chemical agents. Therefore, it is a goal of the proposed work to develop a protective coating for munitions containers having a thermal conductivity no more than 0.1 W/m K, while providing chemical agent resistance and decontaminability. Phase I involved development of selected fire retardants and their incorporation into a water-based resin for spray application to meet the requirements of the coating. The resins were chosen for their excellent adhesion to metal, resistance to chemical exposure, and low temperature resilience to survive cold-temperature impact. Concept feasibility was demonstrated in cold-temperature impact tests and propane torch exposure tests of prototypes spray applied to zinc-phosphate-coated steel. Phase II will involve refinement of the coating composition to optimize cold-temperature rough handling resistance and high-temperature, thermal insulation capacity and fire resistance, followed by manufacturing scale-up and independent field validation.