Demonstration/Validation of Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC)

As part of a tri-service effort funded by the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), the water-dispersible (WD) Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) patented (#5,691,410) by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has undergone technology Demonstration/Validation (Dem/Val) testing at DoD depot facilities in order to verify its performance when applied and removed in a production environment. The tri-service team members include ARL, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD) representing the Marine Corps, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Application demonstrations were held at three depot facilities, one for each of the services, including the Barstow Marine Corps Logistics Base, the Ogden Air Logistics Center and the Tobyhanna Army Depot. The WD CARC used was from production batches manufactured by the Sherwin-Williams Company, and it was applied using standard production equipment under normal environmental conditions. Production stripping demonstrations were held at these same production facilities, using aged test panels prepared during the application demonstrations. This ESTCP effort was transitioned from a similar Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) project that consisted of the same team members and was at the laboratory-scale research level. It verified that the WD CARC is essentially a drop-in substitute for the current solvent-based CARC, because it could be applied and stripped using existing equipment and processes at the depot facilities. Surveys completed by the depot applicators indicated that the WD CARC was considered overall to be a better coating than the standard CARC normally used, with up to one-third less paint required for individual items painted. The exceptional performance of the coating noted in the SERDP effort, especially its flexibility, mar resistance and outdoor durability, was confirmed at the production level.