Evaluation of EXPLOSAFE. Explosion Suppression System for Aircraft Fuel Tank Protection

A joint USAF/Canadian government development program conducted to evaluate the fuel tank ullage explosion suppression performance and to qualify the airborne military use of EXPLOSAFE void filler material, is reported. The material was subjected to laboratory testing to characterize its performance with regard to the manufacturing variables and subsequently exposed to typical ballistic threats up to 23mm HEI-T. The material properties are extensively defined together with the operational penalties associated with its use. Operational and environmental tests are described which determined the tolerance of the material to static loading, fuel slosh vibration, and exposure to fuel, fuel + additives, and corrosive fuel contaminants. Further tests demonstrate that the material does not affect fuel system operation with regard to flow, free motion of fuel during aircraft inversion and fuel tank venting. Installation studies were conducted on fuel tanks of varying complexity to demonstrate feasibility of assembly using existing apertures.