Enhanced Crash Survivable Flight Incident Recorder (ECSFIR)

During aircraft and helicopter production fasteners are currently wet installed with two-component polysulfide-sealant. Applying the two-component sealant is both time consuming and labor intensive. The excess sealant can be classified as hazardouswaste. MIL-STD-7179 requires that fasteners be wet installed with sealant to secure water tightness and corrosion prevention. METSS is proposing to apply its expertise in the area of sealants, environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors, andmicro-encapsulation to develop a coating that is applied during the manufacturing process of the fastener /rivet. The dry non-toxic coating developed will provide lubricity during installation, water tightness, and comply with current environmental lawsand regulations. Under the proposed program, METSS will evaluate three different approaches to obtaining this objective. These are: (a) low compression set, water repellant, elastomeric coatings; (b) Post fastening, swellable coatings; and (c) postfastening, foamable coatings. Each of these technologies is technically and commercially viable, thereby offering the potential for a near-term solution to this critical problem.The results from this Phase I program will lay the groundwork for aleak-proof, corrosion resistant coating that can be applied on a rivet or other type of fastener used by the U.S. Navy during its manufacturing and will eliminate the need to apply a wet, two-component, polysulfide sealant prior to the rivet or fastenerinstallation. METSS expects that the proposed improvements will very significantly increase the rate of riveting, make it much less labor intensive, reduce worker exposure to hazardous chemicals, and avoid the handling and disposal of hazardous wastes.Successful completion of the research and development work, with participation by one or more potential partners, will facilitate technology transfer and insertion. Subsequent optimization and commercialization efforts by METSS and its developmentpartner(s) will have a significant impact on the specialty fastener sector, which in turn will be able to supply the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force with commercially available corrosionresistant, fastening systems. The technology developed should have additional uses in commercial and industrial markets, for example in the automotive, marine, and building construction industry sectors.