ADA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N192-127

Description

Aluminum-magnesium alloys have been used extensively in the United States Navy as ship deck material for Littoral Class Ships (LCS), among others. In order to provide a durable, long-term, and preventive solution to sensitization of 5XXX series aluminum under high thermal load from V-22 Ospreys, a new solution is needed that can accomplish the following: (1) reduce thermal exposure of the underlying aluminum (Al) deck during operations such as landing/takeoff of short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL aircraft), (2) be compatible with off the shelf MIL-STD antiskid coatings, (3) be applicable through a spray-on process for back-fit and forward-fit solutions, and (4) provide a durable, wear and erosion resistant layer to withstand harsh operational environments. This solution should avoid the need for paints or topcoats to prevent significant weight, cost and routine maintenance for the LCS and other Navy platforms. Finally, a new solution would be resistant to fatigue and help prevent stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and other corrosion fatigue damage. To address this need, ADA proposes modification and adaptation of our existing multi-layer thermal isolation material for easy spray-on application in a multi-pass coating surface which will be designed to provide >24000 BTU/min protection for mission duration.