GORE SKYFLEX aerospace materials Tapes and Gaskets Proven materials for sealing and surface protection challenges GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials are a portfolio of unique, commercially-available material sets, forms and sizes with a wide range of engineered properties and specifications. They solve faying surface challenges for OEMs and operators such as sealing, abrasion, corrosion and gap filling. These materials can be used in many application environments such as exposure to fuel and other aviation fluids (Table 1). Proven by more than 20 years of successful applications, GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials are specified by leading civil and military and fixed/rotary wing aircraft OEMs. In addition, these tapes and gaskets are lightweight, flexible and non-curing for easy installation in less time. They are often used as an alternative to Form-In-Place (FIP) seals because they simplify aircraft assembly with seals that can withstand multiple open-close cycles reducing life-cycle costs. Reliable Sealing and Surface Protection Aircraft faying surfaces on leading edges and fairings are subjected to mechanical forces and demanding environments that can result in structural damage from abrasion and corrosion. In addition, fuel or access panels can experience similar mechanical forces that require sealing and surface protection against harsh contaminants regardless of multiple open-close cycles. Therefore, selecting the right interfay material is critical to the success of the aircraft in production and operation. Large fairings and panels frequently have significant variations in piece-to-piece consistency due to manufacturing tolerances that lead to gaps where they meet the structure. Highly-conformable GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials provide predictable performance when sealing these gaps and other irregular surfaces (Tables 2 and 3). Unlike liquid sealants, GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials remain in place under compression and do not squeeze out, providing a durable barrier between the faying surfaces as well as a seal against contaminants. This protects the structure and corrosion-inhibiting coatings on the surfaces from abrasion damage due to flexing, vibration or contaminants. Gore offers a portfolio of tapes and gaskets with different material properties and sizes, providing design engineers with numerous options to achieve the desired performance in applications with widespread design parameters. Benefits of GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials Portfolio of unique materials sets, forms and sizes for many applications Reliable and predictable surface protection, sealing and gap filling with highly-conformable materials Proven performance after exposure to vibration, abrasion, fuels, chemicals, fluids and wide temperature ranges Low environmental impact and improved safety with non-hazardous materials Easy installation with no-cure materials that support design goals for manufacturing Reduced life-cycle costs with reusable seals Typical Applications Access panels Antenna gasket fastener seals Cargo floorboards/structure Dry-bay gaskets Engine cowlings External fuel tanks Fairings Fuel bladder cavities Fuel panels Helicopter tail booms Leading edge D-noses Light assembly seals Passenger floorboards Pitot tubes
GORE SKYFLEX aerospace materials Traditional materials used on aircraft can also break down or become brittle when exposed to UV radiation or liquids commonly used in the aerospace industry such as fuels, petroleum and phosphate-based hydraulic fluids, engine oils and de-icing fluids. Gore offers a variety of material sets and a wide range of standard and custom products designed to provide reliable sealing and surface protection against these liquids and UV radiation. For fuel system applications, GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials, 520 and 720 provide reliable protection against jet fuels. In addition, our 730 repels many aggressive aviation fluids such as SKYDROL LD4 hydraulic fluid. Sophisticated Materials and Engineering GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials are constructed with a unique proprietary material expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (eptfe). Gore s expertise in eptfe has led to more patents for products and processes than any other company worldwide. Gore engineers manipulate the membrane structure of eptfe to provide different material characteristics such as density, strength and compression response that form the basis of the differing material set properties. Proprietary processes ensure that properties are consistent along the length of the tape and from gasket to gasket. In addition, we use other proprietary processes, equipment and materials to provide characteristics in the material sets that can resist fuels and aviation fluids and withstand a wide range of temperatures. While all dry sealants based on PTFE are non-hazardous and chemically inert, no other eptfe tape or gasket in the industry matches the full-scale performance of GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials. Comprehensive Application Support Gore s global team of application engineers work closely with you to provide support in evaluating the parameters of your application and recommending the appropriate product from the portfolio of GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials. We evaluate material function, operating environment and faying surfaces to determine compressive forces, gap tolerances and required material properties. We also evaluate the compression curves and properties of different material sets to determine the appropriate material, form, thickness and adhesive for your specific application, and ensure the material performs as expected in real-world conditions. GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Gaskets, 720 GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Tapes, 730 repels SKYDROL, engine and turbine oils and deicing fluids. GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Tapes, 100 and 110
Easy Installation in Less Time GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Tapes and Gaskets are significantly easier to install than FIP seals. They eliminate cure time for sealing and protective materials, significantly reducing manufacturing cycles and direct maintenance time. These materials do not require special equipment or training to install. In addition, their unique construction enables them to maintain their protective performance over multiple open/close cycles, which translates to fewer replacements and re-work of seals and significant savings in personnel time during production and maintenance. Unlike traditional two-component materials, Gore s materials require no mixing, masking or clean-up after installation. In addition, the non-hazardous material reduces environmental impact, disposal costs, and improves safety for installation personnel. Table 1: Comparison of GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials Purpose Application Environment Property Abrasion/anti-chafe protection 100 110 200 500 Material Sets 520 700 720 730 1600 + + + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ Corrosion protection a + + + + + + + + + Environmental sealing + + + + + + + + Gap-filling + + + + + + + + Jet fuel sealing ++ Gap-filling compensation range single layer (mm) ++ (gasket preferred).15 to 2.0.5 to 3.5 c.5 to 3.0.28 to 9.6.3 to 2.5.15 to 1.4.2 to 1.2.15 to 1.4 Low Compressive Forces ++ ++ ++ + + + + + High Compressive Forces + + + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ Vibration + + + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ Frequent opening, access + + + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ Aviation fluid exposure b + + ++ Jet fuel exposure ++ ++ + Best uses Big gaps, low compressive forces Big gaps, very low compressive forces Gap-filling Gaskets > 19 inches Fuel seals > 18 inches Most applications, especially high vibration or repeated access Available forms Tape Tape Tape Gasket Gasket Tape, gasket Areas with repeated exposure to hydrocarbons Tape, gasket Areas with repeated exposure to aviation fluids a Protection of applied corrosion-inhibiting compounds on surface from scratching, protection of surface from standing fluids, and isolation of dissimilar materials (galvanic) b Sustained exposure to hydraulic fluids, including SKYDROL, engine and turbine oils, and deicing fluids. c Gap-filling capability (width) is less than width of tape. Tape Surface protection no compression required. Floorboard edges Tape
Table 2: Specifications for GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Tapes a Mechanical Properties Property AMS 3255 qualification (class/type) Typical uncompressed thickness b mm (in) 100 110 200 Material Sets 700 720 730 1600 2/1 1/1 2/1 2/2 5/2 2/2 0.3 2.0 (0.012 0.080) 0.9 3.5 (0.035 0.138) 1.0 3.2 (.040-0.125) 0.3 1.4 (0.012 0.055) 0.4 1.5 (0.016 0.059) 0.3 1.4 (0.012 0.055) Density b g/cm 3 0.4 1.2 1.65 0.38 (0.015) Popular widths (mm) 25, 36, 50, 80 21, 28, 33, 41 25.4, 38.1, 50.8 25, 36, 50, 80 40, 75 Low temperature flexibility Storage No adhesive Storage With adhesive Material Passed 10 years 2 years Engineered expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (eptfe) Engineered fluoropolymer Color White or Gray White Environmental Properties Operating temperature range with adhesive C ( F) -73 to 120 d,e -65 to 177 b,d (-85 to 350) Chemical exposure No degradation b No degradation Flammability UV exposure Environmental regulation/ disposal Passed per ABD0031 and FAR 25.853(a) No degradation -73 to 120 d,e -55 to 120 (-67 to 248) No degradation c Non-hazardous and non-curing. Avoid burning, grinding, high temperature cutting or melting of the product without the use of effective local exhaust ventilation and/or personal protective equipment. No special waste handling required. Safety information sheet available. a Test method details available upon request b Without adhesive c Tested and immersed for 14 days in SKYDROL LD4/500 B4 hydraulic fluids, H-515/H-537 hydraulic fluids, O-148/O-156 turbine oils, and AMS 1424 de-icing fluid with no significant change in properties (e.g., swelling, absorption, or material degradation). d Operating temperature range is dependent upon adhesive specified. e Operating temperature without adhesive is -73 to 260 C (-100 to 500 F) GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Tapes, 110 is significantly easier to install around corners. GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Tapes protect panel surfaces from abrasion.
Table 3: Specifications for GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Gaskets a Mechanical Properties Property Material Sets 500 520 700 720 AMS 3255 qualification (class/type) 4/2 5/1 4/2 5/2 Typical uncompressed thickness b mm (in) 0.5 9.9 (0.020-0.378) 0.5 2.5 (0.020-0.098) Density b g/cm 3 0.4 1.2 0.3 1.4 (0.012 0.055) 0.4 1.5 (0.016 0.059) Maximum width mm (in) 1473 (58.0) 1220 (48.0) 482 (19.0) 457 (18.0) Low temperature flexibility Storage No adhesive Storage With adhesive Material Passed 10 years 2 years Engineered expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (eptfe) Environmental Properties Color Operating temperature range with adhesive C ( F) Chemical exposure Flammability UV exposure Environmental regulation/ disposal -73 to 120 c,d -65 88 (-85 to 190) White No degradation b -73 to 120 c,d Passed per ABD0031 and FAR 25.853(a) No degradation -65 to 177 b,c (-85 to 350) Non-hazardous and non-curing. Avoid burning, grinding, high temperature cutting or melting of the product without the use of effective local exhaust ventilation and/or personal protective equipment. No special waste handling required. Safety information sheet available. a Test method details available upon request b Without adhesive c Operating temperature range is dependent upon adhesive specified. d Operating temperature without adhesive is -73 to 260 C (-100 to 500 F) Ordering Information GORE SKYFLEX Aerospace Materials are available in standard or custom sizes with a variety of adhesives. Visit gore.com/skyflex for the list of distributors. For more technical information or to discuss your specific application challenges, please contact a Gore representative.
GORE SKYFLEX aerospace materials Application Notes NOTICE USE RESTRICTIONS APPLY Not for use in food, drug, cosmetic or medical device manufacturing, processing, or packaging operations. SKYDROL is a registered trademark of Eastman Chemical Company. W. L. Gore & Associates GORE, SKYFLEX and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates. 2016 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. SKY-0145-R1-DAT-US-MAR16 gore.com