Tanks, Adhesives & Sealants
  • Tanks, Adhesives & Sealants
  • Polysulfide (PS) - Silicon Sealants
  • Polyurethane (PU) - Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Sealants
  • 3M Aerospace Polysulfide Sealants
  • Am-140e One-component Polyurethane Adhesive
  • Tanks, Adhesives & Sealants SKU: TNK/ADHSV/SLNT

Tanks, Adhesives & Sealants SKU: TNK/ADHSV/SLNT

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. 

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TANK ADHESIVES & SEALANTS

Tank adhesives and sealants are widely used both in Aerospace and many other industries, from automotive and industrial assemblies to footwear, construction, and protective coatings. Those designed for tanks storing fuels and other hazardous substances are applied to storage surfaces to create a resistance barrier preventing leaks. Fuel tank adhesives & sealants are typically used to create air-tight seals in fuel lines, seal the rivets and joints of fuel tanks, as a coating and sealant to protect station floors, on workshops and factory floors, etc.

Tank adhesives/sealants are based on different compounds (chemical composition) and respective prices. Their selection heavily relies on the material of the tank they shall be applied and the sealing content (water, oil, different fuels like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels, etc).

For aircraft integral fuel tanks and rigid removable fuel tanks made of metals (typically stainless steel or aluminum alloy) and composites, two-part Polysulfide rubber sealants are often the preferred choice due to their flexibility, and extreme resistance to gasoline, ethanol and many other chemicals. Polysulfide sealants are not formulated and cannot generally be used on flexible tanks (bladders) made of plastic substrates (such as PU/TPU) as they lack good adhesion to most plastics. In this case, sealants, commonly based on Polyurethane (PU) formulations are selected, although not so chemically resistant as Polysulfide ones. 

The selection and application of a sealant is further discussed below and should always conform to the tank material and the instructions of the respective tank manufacturer. Other factors such as sealant cost, weight (with some sealants being more lightweight than others) and other properties (such as their elasticity or temperature resistance, biocompatibility and others) also affect the selection of the sealant.

Sealant Compatibility with Tank material and appropriate surface treatment. Sealant must be compatible with aluminum, stainless steel, plastic or composite materials from which tanks are commonly made. Poor adhesion and sealant failure may result from poor tank surface treatment (e.g lack of use of clearing chemicals) prior to sealant application, and/or sealant/tank material incompatibility.

Sealant Application Tooling. Appropriate tools such as applicator guns, brushes and PPE should be used as per sealant producer's instructions. 

Sealant Curing Time. Aircraft fuel tank sealants typically cure between 24 and 72 hours depending on the sealant type, ambedient temperature, humidity, and layer thickness.

Sealant Operating Temperatures. Applied sealant temperaures should be within the temperature range of their intended application. Many sealants operate between -65° F and 250° F (-54°  C and 121° C). Extreme temperatures can affect sealant elasticity and adherence, causing leaks and failures.

Due to the high variety of adhesives and sealants that can be supplied and their respective documetation, certain products can be found under the respective listings of their manufacturers (as for example those offered by PPG Aerospace® / PRC-DeSoto®, FLAMEMASTER Chem Seal® ) while others are listed here. For additional information please contact us. Those listed in this presentation are briefly described below.

3M™ AC-350 Aerospace Sealants

3M™ Aerospace Sealant AC-350 is a family of intermediate density, fast-curing, polysulfide fuel tank sealants that provides outstanding resistance to aviation fuels and petroleum chemicals. 3M™  AC-350 Class A and B variants maintain bond strength on many metal, composite and coated substrates and help meet a range of applications for integral fuel tank and fuselage sealing.

Am-140e One-component Polyurethane Adhesive

Am-140e by Shandong North Modern Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. is an one-component polyurethane adhesive with medium to high viscosity and medium to high strength. It has moderate viscosity and good thixotropy for easy construction. After curing, it has high bonding strength and good flexible sealing properties. Can be used for permanent elastic bonding sealing in a range of applications including windshield bonding of small vehicles, bus skin bonding, automobile windshield repair, etc. ASTM D5893 compliant for automotive & aircraft fuel tank sealing applications. Compatible with different substrates including glass, fiberglass, steel, aluminum alloy (including painted), etc.

3M-AC-350-B-1/2-3.5OZ

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Specific References

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