Biodegrdable Plastic Media Blast Materials

We propose to develop a new class of Biodegradable PMB (BPMB) material that will efficiently remove paint from metal and composite surfaces of aircraft structures and components. The aggressiveness of this new blast medium will be tailorable to meet the requirements of specific applications. In addition, the successful PMB material will not damage substrate surfaces, will have a long product life, will be biodegradable, and available in large quantities at competitive costs. Foster-Miller has assembled a strong industrial team to ensure that this technology receives superior technical support during Phase I, can be reduced to practice in a Phase II program, and can provide BPMB distribution and equipment manufacturing for both the military and commercial sectors. During Phase I, Foster-Miller will demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. We will review four development options: BPMBs made from an all-biodegradable polymer, copolymerization of biodegradable polymers, physical blends of two or more biodegradable polymers, and biodegradable polymers filled with inclusions of various hardnesses. We will select the most promising option and materials to compound and mold into test coupons and grind into blast media. The coupons will be tested for mechanical properties including toughness and hardness. The blast media will be analyzed for biodegradability and stripping efficiency. The outcome of these tests will be used to establish the economics of the BPMB system.