Thermavent-SD Munitions Lifting Assembly Sunshade

The munitions lifting assembly sunshade cover (Thermavent-SD) is a lightweight Static Dissipative (SD) cover system for use on the A/E32K-11 Munitions Lifting Assembly (MLA).  It is designed to provide >70 solar radiation blockage while functioning in a wide range of environments consistent with military operations.  The Thermavent-SD cover will be designed to be authorized for use by the Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA), and be extensible to other military and civilian applications.  It is a durable lightweight softgoods cover that packs into a small volume for transport and storage, and is simple to deploy and remove.  The sunshade spans the 30ft distance between the MLA gantries to provide >70% solar radiation blocking for the conveyor area.  It will consist of a permanently SD coated fabric ripstop that is consistent through the thickness of the material and functions in any environment (wet or dry).  The material coating has excellent long-term stability in UV, thermally challenging environments, and against sand/dust impingement.  It also has a high surface energy so it sheds water and ice well, and is naturally resistant to mold & fungus.  The Thermavent-SD sunshade has compliant interfaces to the MLA gantries and curved edges to ensure the cover remains under tension in a dynamic wind environment to reduce load spikes in the sunshade and the MLA gantries.  The Thermavent-SD is attached to the MLA’s gantries with simple interfaces and connected to the MLA’s grounding system.  The cover includes numerous micro vents that open with wind impingement to control flow and pressure gradients in and around the sunshade.  This reduces wind drag and the potential for oscillations of the cover to limit loading on the MLA gantries and in the sunshade itself.  The micro-vents are self-regulating based on wind speed, remain closed when no wind is present to boost solar blocking to 100%, and operate silently.  The baseline design positions the cover in an A-Frame shape to enhance aerodynamics and water/ice shedding.  Numerous configurations of the cover are possible.