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, off-the-shelf 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 thermal barrier coating having a thermal conductivity no more than 0.1 W/m K, while providing chemical agent resistance and decontaminability. TRI/Austin has spent the past two man-years developing a number of fire retardant systems that can be readily incorporated into a variety coating resins. This work will involve judicious selection from these fire retardants for incorporation into a water-based resin for spray application. The resin will be chosen for its excellent adhesion to metal, resistance to chemical exposure, and its low temperature resilience to survive cold-temperature impact. In Phase I TRI/Austin will identify an optimal composition that can pass in-house screening tests and preliminary Army exposure tests. When selected for Phase II, this coating will be further developed for commercial production and qualification testing.