High Temperature Sealants

Abstract Field inspections of United States Marine Corps (USMC) assets have identified periodic high temperatures as contributing to damage of protective coatings and sealants, resulting in corrosion of bolted and overlapping joints. Currently utilized sealants generally have maximum continuous operating temperatures of 400°F (204°C), and intermittent operating temperatures up to 600°F (316°C). The purpose of this report is to evaluate alternative sealants in temperatures that exceed these conditions, combined with their corrosion protection performance. Under the USMC Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPAC) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) program, a testing protocol was executed to evaluate silicone room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) and ceramic-based sealants in high temperature and corrosive environments. Evaluations were based on percent of corrosion on the surface, pit depth, and sealant degradation. This paper will present the findings of these novel tests and their potential applications on USMC assets.