Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC)

Abstract

When the Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) system was first used on tactical equipment by the Army in the early 1980s, it was in compliance with environmental regulations in effect at that time. However, Federal and local regulations resulting form the Clean Air Act and its amendments have resulted in subsequent restriction on the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emitted during the application of protective coatings. Current topcoats in the CARC system have VOC limits set at 3.5#/gal, but local governments are permitted to set lower limits, and many, such as the San Diego Air Quality Management District (which has a limit of 2.8#/gal), have done so. In addition, total emission restrictions imposed on some facilities are such that a limit of 1.8#/gal must be achieved for the facility to stay in production. Finally, many of the solvents are Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) either as listed by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 or targeted by the EPA 33/50 Industrial Toxics Project. Army regulations (which are also followed by the Marine Corps) require that all tactical equipment (including combat, combat support, essential ground support equipment, tactical wheeled vehicles and aircraft) be hardened against performance degradation by chemical warfare agents or decontamination procedures. The Air Force uses Army CARC on all vehicles and equipment procured through the Army and has drafted a Mission Need Statement for Advanced Aircraft Coating Compatibility stating that existing coating systems have a limited ability to protect against chemical agents and must be improved. Thus the CARC requirement is of significant importance to the tri-service coating community and the environmental deficiencies must be addressed to ensure the continued operation of the defense facilities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADA608313

Entities

People

  • Robert W. Katz

Organizations

  • United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Facilities
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemistry
  • Composite Materials
  • Environmental Protection
  • Experimental Design
  • Intellectual Property
  • Materials Testing
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanics
  • Organic Compounds
  • Performance Tests
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Methods
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
  • Wear Resistance

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Surface Coatings Technology.