ETSI, Inc. proposes to develop a polymer infusion process which will allow the diesel fuel injector pumps on vehicles and support equipment to achieve a service life equivalent to that expected before the advent of low-sulfur diesel and the use of JP-8 and Jet A kerosene fuels. Polymer infusions, which oringinally came from NASA research, can be impregnated into the metal at the intergranular level, thus precluding the incidence of disbonds or flaking, and having a coefficient of friction comparable to that of ice-on-ice. These processes have been successfully utilized on the B-1 bomber in an application where standard lubrication technologies couldn't prevent galling damage which was occuring within 30 flight hours. An infused polymer allowed the test article to achieve 300+ flight hours with no damage. The main goal of Phase I will be to perform physical testing of various polymer influsion processes in conjunction with the substrate material normally found in the components of Standalyne pumps (common to the 6.2 Liter General Motors diesel), which are severly hampered by the deleterious effects of low-lubricity fuels. This testing will be lubricated by clay-treated Jet A which has lower lubricity/viscosity than any fuel seen in military service.
Keywords: diesel fuel engines pumps lubricity viscosity polymer coatings
