Problem:
- Global B2C company seeking a way to immediately and permanently seal puncture holes in pressurized elastomeric and rubber bladders
- Material had to permanently seal punctures of up to ¼” in diameter within 3 seconds across a very wide temperature range
- Certain materials were not to be considered (for commercial reasons)
- Specific cost limitations were specified
- The solution needed to be commercializable within 18 months
- Longer term solutions were also of secondary interest
yet2 Strategy and Role:
- Investigated an assorted group of materials, including gels, foams, microcapsules, and polymers
- Investigated a variety of fields ranging from ballistic protection for military applications to self-healing plant research
- The most intriguing formulations had the property of either going from liquid to solid or being self-sealing
Results:
- yet2 identified 30 solutions (and pathways to solutions), 20 of which had not been previously known to client
- Of those, yet2 and the client held technical phone meetings with four, and second meetings with two
Conclusion:
- The client has agreed to fund development work aimed to generate proof-of-concept samples and process within nine months