Trelleborg - Syntactic Foam and Surface Buoys

Trelleborg are specialised in the fields of damping, sealing and protecting in the harshest of environments. Our syntactic foam and surface buoys are highly innovative, focusing on solving problems using the application of materials science. Our products and solutions utilise our extensive knowledge of polymers, elastomers, syntactic foams and glass and ceramic microspheres.

BLOCK MACHINEABLE SYNTACTIC FOAMS

Trelleborg’s range of block machineable foam includes:

• Epoxy Lekutherm™ (EL) grade – the material of choice for manufacturing manned and unmanned submersibles, able to resist exposure to hydraulic fluids and diesels
• Tertiary butyl styrene/glass (TG) grade – used in mine neutralization due to zero magnetic and acoustic signatures. Comprises mainly of styrene monomer with acrylic monomer and glass microspheres
• Deep Submergence (DS) grade – combines lightweight glass microballoons with epoxy resin to produce an ultra-high strength-to-weight material for deep sea applications
• Void Fill (VF) grade - an epoxy syntactic foam which combines microballoons and macrospheres for ultra lightweight applications. Used for the filling of control surfaces on the 688 Class US nuclear submarine, VF can withstand detonation of 60lb high explosive at 20ft.

EPOXY SYNTACTIC FOAM FOR BLAST MITIGATION

Our research has shown that when combined with other high-strength materials, our syntactic foams are ideal for producing mouldable protective panels that absorb and dissipate blast energy. Applications for such materials include asset protecting armour plating and composite walls, doors and structures.

1in³ of syntactic foam can contain up to 125 x 10⁶ hollow glass microspheres which upon collapse provide significant reduction in blast shock waves. Independent testing demonstrated mitigation of more than 99% of a 3,500psi shockwave. Glass microspheres maintain their material integrity at temperatures up to 800°C and enjoy a 10:1 weight advantage over steel.

EAM T3 COMPOSITE SYNTACTIC PANELLING

Trelleborg also develop EAM T3 blast mitigation material for vehicle and asset protection. Features of EAM T3 include:

• Supplied in 8ft x 4ft sheet in thicknesses from 1/2in to 2in in increments of 1./2in
• Can withstand multiple shock events at the tested level of 3,500psi
• No effect on mitigation even with 1/2in hole drilled into material
• No evidence of blast energy redirection around the sample

PYROFEND™ FIRE RESISTANT TECHNOLOGY

Pyrofend™ is a unique phenolic based resin technology that bridges the gap between low-cost, high-density bulk materials and expensive, ultra-lightweight ceramic materials.

Pyrofend™ technology provides a range of structural syntactic foam compositions with improved fire resistance characteristics, including:

• Phenolic resin based composition
• High temperature resistance (1,600°C)
• Light-weight 1/8th of the weight of gypsum and concrete
• Cast and pourable to any shape or form
• Researching spray applications
• Chemically bonded to a wide range of secondary materials

BUOYANT DISSOLVABLE SYNTACTIC FOAMS

Our syntactic foams are capable of being customised for use in applications such as tethered expendable communication buoys. The buoy is launched from a submarine, using a fibre-optic cable to maintain its connection with the submarine, provides a connection or link to the shore network (file transfer, email etc.). The buoyancy material dissolves leaving the remainder of the communication system unable to float thus it sinks leaving no trace.

Syntactic foam applications include:

• Blast and fire protection – ships submarines, personnel, assets and equipment
• Shipboard watertight doors, hatches and scuttles
• 688 and USS Virginia class ‘eyebrow’ modules and void fills
• HOVs, ROVs and AUVs
• Pyrofend™ fire resistant foam spray applications
• Dissolvable foam – deep siren scuttle plugs
• Bomb shrouds
• Propulsor duct and composite marine hydrofoils
• Missile launch tube protection
• Damage control monitoring
• Shipyard drydock applications – “snubbers”
• Special operations applications
• Signature management – microballoon coatings

Trelleborg also produce a wide range of buoyant marine products, including:

BOOMS

Used for containment of oil, creating exclusion zones at sea (anti terrorist barrage for ships and other naval vessels), to control floating debris and highlight maritime areas of danger, Trelleborg’s range of booms are robust and well proven, highly visible, and designed to have the appropriate load carrying capacity. The booms provide long service life with minimum maintenance due to their impact and wear resistant polymer protective outer layer. Modular construction allows for customers to tailor the product to meet their needs.

CHAIN AND TYRE NET FENDERS

Trelleborg produce chain and tyre net fenders designed to withstand high-energy impact occurring during the berthing of vessels. The fenders are non-marking, cannot deflate and require minimal maintenance increasing reliability reducing through life costs. Trelleborg fenders are available in a wide variety of sizes and specifications to suit customer requirements.

SURFACE BUOYS

Trelleborg also produce a range of surface buoys manufactured from a polyethylene thermolaminated foam core encapsulated within a self coloured polyurethane outer skin. General surface support buoys are available from 90kg to 6000kg with larger chain support buoys available. Navigation and marker buoys are supplied in a variety of diameters and nett buoyancies and can be supplied with relevant marker equipment, such as beacons, solar powered or dry cell batteries.

Our surface buoys do not attract marine growth and are resistant to abrasion and UV degradation.

TRIMSYN

Trelleborg’s syntactic floats can be used in many applications including umbilical/cable support and ROV trim buoyancy. They provide a safe an efficient solution for additional buoyancy in a variety of marine applications.