Kubota Research Associates — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N171-042

Description

Both the Deep Skirt and Advanced Skirt System material used on Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) experience significant wear during normal operations, which require expensive, time-consuming maintenance repairs. The US Navy is looking for innovative new material and manufacturing method for skirt systems to improve it durability and reduces Total Ownership Cost (TOC). <br>Rubber skirts experience two modes of periodic motions, stick-slip oscillation and micro-vibration generated during frictional slidings of rubber. Liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) fiber, such as para-aramid fiber Kevlar and polyarylate, is known for its high tensile strength =25g/d that is 5 times of nylon fiber, high cut resistant and vibration damping properties. By placing a small amount of expensive LCP fiber on the surface would protect from stick-slip oscillation and micro-vibration to reduce surface abrasion.<br>Kubota Research Associates has demonstrated abrasion resistant on a vinyl ester hard composite surface in the NAVY SBIR N091-047 title; Innovative Weight Reduction Concepts for Unmanned Surface Vehicles.<br>We propose the development of a co-vulcanized 2 layers composite structure, which is a nylon fabric reinforced Neoprene laminate layer and small amount of LCP fiber doped Neoprene elastic composite thin layer that would greatly extend the life with minimum cost of the skirt.