Lightweight Durable Intumescent Paint for Aircraft Composite Protection from Fire Damage

Many military and commercial aircraft industries have been increasing the use of advanced polymeric composites to reduce fuel consumption. One of the main challenges, however, is the flammability of these organic composites when exposed to fire. Most organic composites ignite within 1 minute when exposed to fire and their structural integrity are significantly degraded. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a lightweight flame resistant coating to protect aircraft and aerospace structures. It is also desirable for many commercial structures to have fire protective coatings. Commercially available intumescent paints are usually applied with a thickness from 3 to 18 mm. Normally, a coating with thickness of 9 mm or higher is needed to provide sufficient protection of a structure from fire damage. These values of thickness and weight are too high for aircraft and aerospace structures applications. Current intumescent paints have another major concern; that is, they all contain additives that release inorganic acids. The acid reacts with the existing paint and negatively affects the durability of the coating. In this SBIR Phase I project we propose to develop an inert, lightweight, intumescent coating material to protect military and commercial aircraft structures from fire damage. The proposed technology has no negative impact on the existing aircraft paint and is environmentally safe. Preliminary test results demonstrate that the proposed intumescent paint can protect a thin aluminum sheet from fire damage at fire temperatures up to 900°C.