As US Naval operations in the deep Artic North increase, gaskets and seals used in the battleships will be increasingly exposed to extremely low temperatures up to -40F. Existing neoprene gaskets used DDG-51 destroyer are not designed for this extreme cold weather conditions. Therefore, new gasket materials are needed that have good resistance (low swelling) to a wide range of oils, hydrocarbons and solvents as well as very good low temperature flexibility characteristics. LaunchBay, in this Phase I, proposes to develop and evaluate 3 different rubber materials for their low temperature properties, mechanical performance and chemical resistance characteristics.
Benefit: The material development is expected to benefit critical sealing applications in various private sector industries such as shipping, Artic oil exploration industry, aerospace and cryogenics among others.
Keywords: Low temperature gaskets, Low temperature gaskets, louver gaskets, low temperature seals
