Failures of MIL-PRF-24667 non-skid coatings on the decks of Navy ships run the risk of corrosion and increase the risk of equipment, such as jet engines, and the safety of personnel. Recent solutions to the reported failures in non-skid coatings have focused on application and substrate surface preparation techniques. This has led to the development of advanced application techniques, such as thermal spray applied non-skid. However, these techniques require a high degree of skilled labor and advanced application techniques that are outside the capabilities of normal ship’s force. Due to the advanced application requirements and nature of thermal spray coating techniques, failures and coating delamination cannot be repaired by ship’s force. In addition, currently qualified non-skid coatings have a high mass of volatile organic compound (VOC) that pose detrimental effects to Navy personnel and the environment. The very short pot life of currently used non-skid coatings lead to the buildup of hazardous materials, the use of coatings thinners (often hazardous organic solvents like xylene), and wasted material that must be disposed of. Ultra high solid (UHS) materials use no solvent or VOCs that are damaging to the environment. This project will be a collaboration between the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWC-CD) and Louisiana State University (LSU) Professor, Dr. John Pojman, who is a leading expert on cure-on-demand polymeric materials. As this is a novel technology, it has not been previously incorporated into metallic or marine coatings. The primary performance criteria will be demonstrating the coating material will cure-on-demand on a properly prepared and primed metal substrate. 

The technical objective of this project will focus on the development of the cure-on-demand coatings. The formulation phase will take place at Louisiana State University (LSU) at the laboratory of Dr. John A. Pojman. He will develop the novel chemistry and prototype in his labs according to the performance criteria provided to him by NSWC-CD personnel. This criteria will include adhesion to primed substrate, cure time, wear, and ultra violet-exposure. Samples will be prepared to undergo heat resistance and long term weathering exposure at the satellite facility, South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (SFOMF). The objective is to show that the prototype will perform equivalently to currently qualified products. The resulting prototype will be demonstrated for Navy and Marine Corps stakeholders at NSWC-CD on a six foot by six foot prepared substrate. The demonstration will include the LSU investigators, Navy, and US Marine Corps (USMC). The stakeholders will show the use of the prototype in the spreading and the cure-on-demand properties.

This project plans to develop a thermally initiated, cure-on-demand non-skid prototype for proof-of concept laboratory evaluation. This would represent a novel effort to develop a next generation non-skid coating for stakeholders in the Navy and Marine Corps where recent work has not studied the development of a novel non-skid material. An UHS material will be used to eliminate the use of organic solvents. The research team also plans to base the formulation on modified vegetable oils, among the most alluring bio-based feedstocks because they are economical, available, environmentally-friendly, non-noxious, and renewable. The coating system will pose a benefit to the environment and warfighter 2 health through the use of renewable safe materials, elimination of solvents and thinning agents, and the cure-on-demand properties that ensure a major reduction in wasted material. Successful conclusion of this one-year project will lead to the development of a novel non-skid material formulation for testing at NSWC-CD.