abstract |
A fabric and elastomeric material (referred to as a fabric trilayer) combined with a sealant may be applied in such a fashion so as to eliminate or minimize air entrapment in an elastomeric composite structure that forms a seal-sealing volume. The performance of the self-sealing volume is dramatically improved with this minimizing of air entrapment. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, this construction approach may be accomplished without significantly adding to the weight or thickness of the volume and without affecting the outer dimension of the self-sealing volume. Thus, a method and system for forming a self-sealing volume are described. The system includes an elastomeric composite structure comprising at least one layer of an elastomeric material derived from a neat (no solvent) elastomeric material that does not substantially react at room temperature. |