The sky’s the limit: New Fondag® Aerospace concrete launches for the aerospace industry
Fondag® Aerospace, Imerys’ latest innovation, is out of this world – delivering superior heat and abrasion resistance for rocket launchpads. Designed to meet the aerospace industry’s hardest demands, it can provide significant operational efficiencies for customers.
Imerys is taking a giant leap in aerospace innovation with the launch of Fondag® Aerospace, state-of-the-art concrete engineered to withstand the punishing conditions of rocket launches.
Fondag® Aerospace has been created specifically to support the extreme demands of the aerospace industry. Building on the proven track record of Fondag®, our new solution’s adapted formulation directly tackles the issue of concrete abrasion in one of the most demanding applications: rocket launchpads.
Improved abrasion resistance means less downtime, allowing our customers to perform a higher number of launches between each launchpad changeover.
Tom Tolive, Technical Support Manager for our Solutions for Refractory, Abrasives & Construction business area in the Americas, explains the product’s key benefit: “Fondag® Aerospace is designed to withstand the intense conditions of rocket launches, where temperatures regularly exceed 6,000°F, causing the concrete to repeatedly melt and resolidify."
Fondag® Aerospace uses a binder and aggregate with the same mineralogical composition, ensuring that resolidifying occurs uniformly. In turn, this grants greater structural integrity, reduced abrasion and ultimately better performance with less downtime.
Abrasion-resistant product offers launchpad efficiencies
Fondag® Aerospace has been developed with input from aerospace industry leaders. It marks a significant improvement in the specific problem area of abrasion. Rigorous testing demonstrated a 64% increase in abrasion resistance, far exceeding initial expectations.
These improvements translate to reduced maintenance and downtime, enabling customers to operate more efficiently.
Even a 10% improvement in performance could result in three weeks less downtime per year for our customers.
Real-world testing on launch pads has shown much greater improvement than this, showcasing Fondag®’s potential to streamline operations and reduce costs for major players in the industry.
The material has already undergone real-world testing in demanding environments, such as the flame impingement zones of active launchpads, where it continues to perform exceptionally.
Innovative solution addresses customers’ downtime challenge
Fondag® Aerospace is the product of extensive collaboration and innovation within Imerys. By leveraging our internal resources, expertise and existing product lines across our business area, we have created a solution that addresses the unique challenges faced by aerospace companies.
This product launch reflects our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that support our customers’ goals. Fondag® Aerospace’s advanced properties are already delivering value to some of the industry’s most prominent organizations, reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in the aerospace sector.
As demand for more efficient and resilient materials grows, Fondag® Aerospace is well-positioned to play a pivotal role in supporting the industry’s continued progress.
| The SPACECOM® conference debuted Fondag Aerospace's product launch - the global commercial space conference & exposition, in Orlando, FL, January 28-30. The show brought together more than 5000 Attendees, over 250 Exhibitors, 45 knowledge sessions, and over 80 countries represented. |
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