Atmospheric Plasma Removal of Airfield Paint Markings and Aircraft Tire Rubber Build-up from Installed AM2 Mat Surfaces
Navy SBIR FY2015.1


Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2015.1
Topic No.: N151-022
Topic Title: Atmospheric Plasma Removal of Airfield Paint Markings and Aircraft Tire Rubber Build-up from Installed AM2 Mat Surfaces
Proposal No.: N151-022-0052
Firm: Atmospheric Plasma Solutions
11301 Penny Road
Suite D
Cary, North Carolina 27518-2433
Contact: Peter Yancey
Phone: (919) 341-8325
Web Site: http://www.aplasmasolution.com
Abstract: While the benefits of utilizing of Expeditionary Airfields (EAF) by the US military are numerous, there are several challenges regarding maintenance for which there is currently no suitable solution, such as the removal of unwanted paint markings from a previous airfield installation or tire rubber build-up which can adversely impact the nonskid performance. There is an urgent need for a process which can remove these unwanted materials while leaving the AM2 mat in place. Atmospheric Plasma Solutions, Inc. (APS) has developed a revolutionary Atmospheric Plasma Coating Removal technology (APCR) that can effectively remove paint and other organic materials from a wide variety of substrates using only air and electricity by producing a cold, atmospheric pressure plasma, which chemically converts the organic surface contaminants into CO2, water vapor, and inorganic particulates. APS proposes to adapt APCR technology to remove marking paint and rubber build-up from AM2 Mat material. This proposed effort will focus on development of a conceptual design of this application, demonstrating the feasibility of the approach, and ensuring the ability of the APCR process to meet stated DoD requirements. This effort will also lay the groundwork for subsequent scale-up of the process and further engineering development.
Benefits: Atmospheric Plasma Coating Removal technology (APCR) requires no grit, sand or other blast media, generates no waste streams beyond the removed coating, allows for debris capture, can be operated by manual or automatic means, presents no undue occupational or environmental hazards to the operators, and can remove partial or whole coating layers across a wide variety of platforms. The immediate benefit of this development is an efficient, environmentally friendly process that will greatly improve Expeditionary Airfields maintenance. This technology is a true dual-use technology and with further development can provide a complete solution for large-scale industrial surface cleaning and removal of various coatings of interest. The technology will provide the benefits of reduced capital cost, improved safety, and reduced labor costs compared to other removal technologies. Commercial applications will include the cleaning of AM2 mat surfaces on EAFs, non-skid surfaces on aircraft carriers and other Naval assets. This dual-use technology can be directly used for civilian applications such as the removal of painted line markings on highways and for removing graffiti from concrete, brick, and asphalt surfaces.

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