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Luna’s impact indicator coatings demonstrate color change under impact.
Technologies at Luna Innovations
Impact and Thermal Indicator Coatings
Luna Innovations has developed impact indicator paints for polymer matrix composites (PMCs) used as structural components in military and commercial aircraft. The impact indicator paint coated on a PMC will change color in response to an impact event capable of damaging the underlying composite.
The impact indicator paint will allow aircraft maintenance personnel to rapidly identify potential composite damage in the field without the use of expensive equipment. Areas of damage highlighted by the paint can then be more closely inspected to determine needed repairs.
The coating is able to qualitatively assess damage areas exceeding a threshold impact energy relevant for low velocity impact damage (LVID), as well as quantify the energy exerted onto the component through intensity measurements.
Luna has incorporated this indicator additive into existing aircraft coatings, as well as new low volatile organic compound (VOC) coatings developed in house.
The complex structure of PMCs makes detection of cracks, flaws and weak points within a structural component challenging. The impact indicator paint proposed by Luna will allow the detection of potential composite damage quickly in the field preventing structural failure and reducing the time and expense of instrumented nondestructive evaluation (NDE) testing.
