A NOVEL CERAMIC, THIN FILM COATING AS A MOISTURE BARRIER FOR AMMUNITION CONTAINERS

CURRENT MOISTURE BARRIERS FOR AMMUNITION CONTAINERS CONSIST OF LAYERS OF ASPHALT IMPREGNATED PAPER AND ALUMINUM FOIL. ALUMINUM FOIL IS NOTED FOR ITS PINHOLE LEAKS. MOISTURE WILL DIFFUSE THROUGH ASPHALT IMPREGNATED PAPER. CONSEQUENTLY, MOISTURE-INDUCED CORROSION OF AMMUNITION AND DEGRADATION OF FUZE AND PROPELLANT CAN FREQUENTLY OCCUR OVER LONG TIME PERIODS. A NOVEL SOL-GEL-DERIVED 47 WT% ALUMINOSILICATE COMPOSITION HAS BEEN DEVELOPED WITH HERMETIC PROPERTIES. A VERY LOW SURFACE AREA, A RESULT OF A UNIQUE CLOSED CELL STRUCTURE, PRODUCES THE HERMETIC PROPERTIES. THESE PROPERTIES ARE PRODUCED UNDER EXTREMELY MILD, APPROXIMATELY 100 DEGREES C, PROCESSING TEMPERATURES. THE THIN COATING, APPROXIMATELY 1.5 NM, IS EXTREMELY STRONG, TOUGH, AND DURABLE. A REACTIVE PRIMER HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO ASSURE CHEMICAL BONDING OF THE COATING TO A VARIETY OF SUBSTRATES. THIS COATING WILL BE EVALUATED FOR CONTAINER APPLICATIONS. SOL-GEL PROCESS CONDITIONS WILL BE DETERMINED FOR CONTAINER BOARD SUBSTRATES. COATED SPECIMENS WILL BE PREPARED. MECHANICAL TESTS WILL INCLUDE ADHERENCE, FLEXURE, AND IMPACT. HERMETIC TESTS WILL BE PERFORMED. COATING OF COMPLEX GEOMETRICAL SURFACES WILL BE INVESTIGATED. COATED TUBES WILL BE DELIVERED TO ARDEC. TPL IS ACTIVE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS MATERIAL SYSTEM. COMPLETE RESOURCES EXIST TO ACHIEVE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES ARE ENHANCED VIA TPL'S ASSOCIATION IWTH THE CENTER FOR MICRO-ENGINEERED CERAMICS.