Technology for Advanced Ship Designs

The cost effective intergration of a fire protection system into a multifunctional composite structure is a goal of the shipbuilding industry. The current practice of fire protection blankets over composites for fire protection is costly, difficult to maintain, difficult to install and ineffective for several threat scenerios. Structural Composites proposes to refine a new innovative Spray Bag composite fabrication process to provide fire protection. This innovative Spray Bag material facilitates the composites' infusion fabrication process and remains as part of the structure as the fire protection system. The major technical challange which list project will address is the ability to spray an elastomeric coating that has inherent fire protection directly onto dry fiber reinforcements, frames and ports in such a manner that will form a vacuum-tight bag directly on the fabrication mold.