Tanks, Adhesives & Sealants...
Integral fuel tanks in aircraft form part of their wing or fuselage structure and they are commonly met in high-performance aircraft as they are the lightest, with most space per unit of weight. Rigid removable aircraft fuel tanks are also used in some aircraft, typically made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy and riveted together. Flexible fuel tanks (aka fuel bladders) are fuel containers made of reinforced flexible materials. They share many characteristics with rigid tanks but they require a smaller opening in the aircraft to be installed. Also used in other sectors for rapid deployment of storage facilities or increase capacity of fuels (gasoline, diesel or jet fuel) but also for water, oils, or as emergency units. They are made of high-quality PVC, EVA, and TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) coated fabrics, are fully UV resistant, and can operate at temperatures from -50°C to +90°C, ensuring durability and reliability under the most demanding conditions. Made by different manufacturers, these tanks conform to commercial standards while some of them are ballistic-tolerant or engineered for mission-critical military or aerospace uses, meeting respective commercial (such as TSO-C80 and 14 CFR Part 29) as well as military specifications like MIL-DTL-6396, MIL-DTL-5578, and MIL-DTL-27422.
Related materials such as tank cleaners/degreasers, adhesives & sealants are also offered and included in this presentation.
Tank adhesives/sealants come in different compounds (chemical composition) and respective prices, and their selection heavily depends the material of the tank they shall be applied and the sealing content (water, oil, fuel, etc). The selection and use of any sealant during tank construction, maintenance or repair should always ensure sealant's compatibility with tank composition and chemical resistance to fuels or other fluids to be sealed. Commonly used sealants for tanks span from PVC, the more cost-effective but with low temperature resistance & toxic when burned, to more expensive but safer Silicone ones, with excellent flexibility, high and low-temperature resistance and biocompatibility, to Polyurethane sealants, durable but not so chemically resistant as Polysulfide, and Polysulfide rubber sealants, flexible, and extremely resistant to gasoline, ethanol and many other chemicals.
For aircraft integral fuel tanks and rigid removable fuel tanks made of metals, two-part Polysulfide sealants are often the preferred choice. For flexible Polyurethane/Thermoplastic Polyurethane (PU/TPU) fuel tanks (bladders) the bonding/sealing material itself is often a specialized PU/TPU formulation for enhanced flexibility and durability,chemical resistance to hydrocarbon fuels, solvents, and oils, impact resistance, and bonding strength compared to traditional formulations. Silicone sealants are also used depending on application requirements.
Supplied either as OEM parts or as parts of our own labelled (AVIATIONEU NEW ERA) product lines.