NOVEL CHEMICAL WARFARE PROTECTIVE COATINGS FOR AVIATION GROUND SUPPORT SYSTEMS

A MAJOR PROBLEM IN CURRENT WARFARE IS THE EXPOSURE OF AIR OPERATIONS OF SHIPS AND SHORE BASED SITES TO CHEMICAL WARFARE TOXIC AGENTS THAT ARE A SERIOUS HAZARD TO SERVICE CREW PERSONNEL. A METHOD FOR REDUCING THIS HAZARD TO PERSONNEL IS TO HAVE SUCH AVIATION SUPPORT EQUIPMENTS AND SYSTEMS COATED WITH MATERIALS THAT DO NOT COLLECT AND ABSORB NOXIOUS CHEMICALS AND THAT EASILY RELEASE OR DESORB QUICKLY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT BASIC RESEARCH IS TO SELECT AND TEST CERTAIN COATING MATERIALS KNOWN TO OFFER LOW SURFACE ADHESION, HAVE LOW PENETRATION BY FOREIGN CHEMICALS AS WELL AS OFFER RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS. A RANGE OF MATERIALS WILL BE USED INCLUDING TWO COMPONENT, AMBIENT CURE, 100% SOLIDS, AS WELL AS THERMAL CURED POWDER COATINGS. INCLUDED WILL BE SPRAY-ON VISUAL OBSCURANCE, RADAR BSORBING AND LASER ATTENUATING COATINGS TO CREATE A MULTISPECTRAL APPROACH. THE SYSTEMS APPROACH IS USED AS A METHOD TO ADDRESS THE OVERALL PROBLEM. TESTING WILL BE CARRIED OUT FOR EVALUATING ACCORDING TO INDUSTRY AND MIL SPEC STANDARDS. THE PROPOSERS HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPMENT OF COATING THEORY, NOVEL COATINGS AND INNOVATIVE COATING APPLICATIONS TECHNIQUES THAT EXHIBIT OCEAN FOULING RELEASE, RADAR CROSS SECTION ATTENUATION AS WELL AS APPLICATION OF COATING SYSTEMS WITH DURABILITY IN SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.