SBIR-STTR Award

Advanced Materials Technology, Inc responds to the Navy need to develop novel blast packaging materials that will contain blast effects of an accidentally detonated weapon, namely MK84 bomb. The container should be lightweight and strong for ease of handling and must meet shipboard fire, smoke, and toxicity requirements. We propose to develop a highly innovative and lightweight container structure that will meet the desired requirements. The novel blast packaging design will incorporate two essential principles, namely energy (shock) absorption and fragment containment. The design goals can be accomplished via several layers of different materials, each performing a separate function. Moreover, we shall perform a numerical simulation of the detonation of a MK84 bomb to define parameters required for blast containment, in particular: (1) tensile and compression properties of new materials such as modulus, strength, elongation at high strain rates, (2) container configuration such as thickness and diameter of container, and (3) layer configuration in multi-layer container structure. The simulation study will help us guide the development of unique materials and design configuration to meet program objectives. Once the feasibility of the proposed concept is demonstrated in Phase I, we shall scale-up the proposed technology in the Phase II program

Advanced Materials Technology, Inc responds to the Navy need to develop novel explosive resistant materials. These materials can be applied to ship structures to provide blast protection and mitigate damages from fragmentation. The proposed lightweight technology can also be used in advanced blast packaging systems to contain or mitigate blast effects of an accidentally detonated weapon. These materials must meet the Navy shipboard fire, smoke, and toxicity requirements. We will continue to use the technical approaches that have shown tremendous potential during the successful Phase I effort. Our approach will be based on the development, fabrication, and characterization of polyurea/clay (montmorillonite) nanocomposites. These novel materials will have ‘tunable’ properties though optimizing polymer characteristics, nanoparticles dispersion, and processing parameters. We will conduct extensive fire, smoke, and toxicity evaluation, mechanical characterization at high strain rates using SHPB, and blast testing. The proposed Phase II program is designed as a comprehensive 2 ½ year effort to further develop the significant innovations demonstrated in the Phase I program. The proposed effort will further enhance and optimize polyurea nanocomposites, scale up the optimized materials, and culminate in the fabrication of prototype materials to demonstrate the readiness and maturity of our techniques.

Benefit:
As the fire-resistant blast resistant coating based on polyurea/clay nanocomposite elastomers offers protection against explosion of all types and works in any environments, it will have many applications in wide range of industries and government agencies. The potential post applications for the proposed technology are innumerable, spanning military markets as well as commercial markets. The Navy will benefit from this technology with the rapid production and retrofitting of a variety of structures. Other military agencies will benefit as well, particularly the Air Force with fabrication of aircraft structures. The commercial sector could enjoy similar benefits with respect to fabrication of blast-proof structures. The packaging materials developed under this program would also be useful in mitigating injuries to workers in industrial environments where high pressure pipes, gas containments, or other equipments are subject to explosive fracture. Other areas of interest for the explosive resistant coating (ERC) include (i) transport and storage units containing chemicals and explosive compounds, (ii) external and internal wall linings to protect buildings such as subway tunnels, airport structures, embassies, and government buildings against terrorist attacks and accidental explosions, (iii) aboard commercial ships to minimize damage from blasts, (iv) explosive manufacturing and handling facilities, fireworks plants, and propellant manufacturing sites, (v) blast protection linings for commercial aircraft and air cargo containers, (vi) underwater blast insulation units for naval vessels and coastal construction, (vii) submarines such as blast protection liner for nuclear submarines, and (viii) nuclear power plants.

Keywords:
Elastomer, fire, Containment, numerical simulation, toxicity, Explosive Resistant Coating, Blast Protection, Polyurea