Engage

T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
F
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
F
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
F
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
F
Logo
T
Logo
T
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
F
Logo
Facebook
1,968,224
Like Us
Twitter
394,208
Follow Us
YouTube Google+ Blog RSS Instagram

AF develops high-temperature, abrasion-resistant coating for fighter aircraft

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- The Air Force and a small business partner developed an innovative, high-temperature, abrasion-resistant coating product that could directly improve the reliability and maintainability of weapon systems across the Air Force, including the F-35 Lightning II.

With funding from the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program, Texas Research Institute (TRI), in Austin, Texas, the Proteckt high-temperature coating has demonstrated significant improvements in abrasion resistance at operational temperatures during laboratory testing.

“This is roughly a 2,000 percent improvement in the average time between coating failures and directly addresses a current F-35 need,” said Maj. George Woodworth, the Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR project manager. “We anticipate that the new material will provide the program an estimated $14 million in life-cycle cost savings.”

Abrasion-resistant camouflage coatings are used to protect composite surfaces of aircraft. These coatings are thin and usually spray- applied. Existing products experience some degradation in performance and color over time, especially when exposed to high temperatures, and can cause extensive damage to the underlying composite material.

“When a coating wears prematurely, it also causes an unscheduled maintenance burden to repair or strip and recoat the area,” Woodworth said. “If the degradation is not discovered in time, damage to the underlying aircraft section can occur.”

Currently, the preferred abrasion-resistant camouflage coatings are filled polyurethane paints. These paints have moderate high-temperature resistance, but very poor long-term wear resistance at high temperatures and they degrade over time, resulting in the need for frequent repair and recoating.

However, the Air Force needs abrasion-resistant coatings that can withstand high temperatures for longer durations and that match the existing camouflage paint schemes of aircraft parts. TRI evaluated a variety of raw materials, developed numerous coating formulations in conjunction with the experimental design development process and then identified the best formulations.

The new Proteckt camouflage coating offers greatly improved high-temperature abrasion resistance for aerospace composite applications. The coating cures faster, is resistant to standard aircraft fluids, meets color and gloss requirements, and exhibits good adhesion, even after accelerated fluid exposures.

It can be applied using traditional procedures, including brush, roller and high-volume low-pressure spray.

Due to high interest in the product, the firm received a $1.3 million Rapid Innovation Funding award to further advance the technology. TRI has an excellent record of SBIR transition success with a commercialization portfolio of over $30 million.

For more information, please call the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Office at 1-800-222-0336, email info@afsbirsttr.com, or visit our website at www.afsbirsttr.com.

(Information courtesy of the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program office, Air Force Research Laboratory)
USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.
comments powered by Disqus