Acoustically Transparent Underwater Curing Adhesive - P4952

The United States Navy is seeking a material for underwater repair of damage to sub-sea arrays that are encapsulated in polyurethane or other elastomers.Ý The material must be nearly impedance-matched to seawater so that it does not attenuate or reflect acoustic signals, and must be able to cure underwater exceeding 40 pounds per linear inch (pli) of adhesion to various substrates.Ý The material must also be able to bring the damaged surfaces to their original fairness specification to avoid generating turbulent flow noise. ÝThe material needs to be capable of preventing biofouling by sea life, which would also generate significant signal loss and turbulent flow.Ý Materials Sciences and our polyurethane formulation partners have demonstrated near acoustically transparent formulations that will cure underwater with good adhesion, and have been filled with antifoulant materials.ÝMSC will carry out a development program to formulate, characterize and demonstrate that these materials can be engineered to meet the Navyís needs for long-lasting underwater repair of encapsulated sensor arrays.Ý