TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: F-35 - Joint Strike Fighter, ACAT I

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Develop the capability to measure the state of cure of a recently applied coating (epoxy or urethane), sealant (polythioether or polysulfide), or adhesive (epoxy, acrylic, urethane) without contacting the product's surface. Indicate an appropriate time when further layers of the same material or other operations (i.e., primer, paint, thermal or chemical processing, etc.) can proceed on the applied product.

DESCRIPTION: Manufacturing processes are typically delayed from several minutes to several hours while coatings, sealants, and adhesives sufficiently cure to allow subsequent operations. Local environmental conditions can accelerate or decelerate cure depending on the chemistry of the materials, which makes degree of cure a variable over time and ultimately results in built-in down-time to assure sufficient cure is achieved. A technology for determining the relative state of cure for a variety of known coatings, sealants, and adhesives, without compromising the integrity of the applied material, would be a manufacturing enhancement and production time reduction factor. The technology must ultimately be able to accommodate slight variations of chemistry within the chemical classes such as exist among different vendors or due to effects of various fillers and must be measured on substrates consistent with aircraft manufacture.

PHASE I: Develop a design concept for an innovative measurement technology that meets the objective. Develop a protocol for defining the state of cure for each application category (coating, sealant, adhesive). Demonstrate the proposed approach on the coatings, sealants, and adhesive materials listed in the objective.

PHASE II: Build and demonstrate prototype, portable hardware capable of measuring the relative state of cure of the materials listed in the objective. Demonstrate that the technology is able to accommodate slight variations of chemistry within the classes. Develop a protocol for measuring state of cure for new materials within chemical classes.

PHASE III: Deliver hardware capable of meeting the stated objective for use by the sponsoring program and other interested DOD platforms.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Both military and commercial aircraft manufacturers, as well as those in the automotive or related industries, should realize a benefit by being able to measure the state of cure of coatings, sealants, and adhesives within a variety of chemistries, thereby enabling a reduction in the overall processing time for their respective products.

REFERENCES:
1. Urethane coating---Mil-PRF-85582, AMS-C-27725.

2. Polysulfide sealant---AMS 3281.

3. Polythioether sealant---AMS 3277.

4. Epoxy adhesive---MMM-A-132 (i.e. EA9394NA).

KEYWORDS: Non-Contact Cure; Measurement; Coatings; Sealants; Adhesives; Urethane.

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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