Intumescent Material Passive Fire Protection Technique for Aircraft Engine Nacelle

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I proposal responds to the USAF’s critical need to develop universal, new and innovative, fireblock materials or technologies for thermal isolation of the engine nacelle area. Texas Research Institute Austin proposes to build our previously successful work with preceramic coatings to develop a new class of fireblock materials. Upon exposure to fire, this new coating in conjunction with a high temperature intumescing compound swells into a tough, durable, insulating char that extinguishes burning, depriving the area of oxygen. We will develop unique and new adducts of the preceramic binder. Presently, the commercially available intumescent coatings blow at an insufficiently low temperature for application in the engine area. The purpose of this endeavor is to develop new protective and fireblocking compositions, imparting unique and vastly improved flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) characteristics. We will demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through extensive testing including, fire, smoke, char stability, airflow, thermoanalytical, fluid resistance, and structural investigations. The proposed unique flame retardant preceramic coating binders are very new materials, just finding applications within the last five years. Improved fire and heat resistance for the nacelle region will translate into saving warfighters and engines.