Important Characteristics of Aviation Floor Coatings

When considering a flooring solution for an aircraft hangar, it is imperative that you apply floor coating over the surface. It ensures that the floor withstands heavy wear and tear and resists the effects of chemicals and fuels that might degrade it over time. There are few options available for aviation floor coatings including epoxy or resinous, urethane and other customized coatings. Before you choose the coating for your aviation floor space, you should know about the main characteristics that should be present in a floor coating in order to make the right choice.

Abrasion Resistance

Having high wear and abrasion resistance properties are essential for aviation floor coatings, which prevent scrapes, bumps, and scratches caused by dragged tools, movement of heavy equipments, and dropped nuts and bolts.

Internal Coating Strength

Hangar flooring coatings must have high internal coating strength in order to enable the floor surface to withstand the weight of heavy aircrafts and point loads. It must have high flexibility and bonding strength to maintain the surface integrity even in extreme conditions.

Reflectivity

The level of light reflectivity of the surface is an important factor which aids in better illumination both underneath and above the aircraft. It also influences the energy costs in a way that it reduces the need for additional lighting. Moreover, the coating should improve the overall visibility inside the hangar, which will allow the workers to easily spot and clean foreign object debris that can otherwise prove to be harmful.

Maintenance and Cleaning

Since hangars are spread over a floor area ranging from 3,000 sq. ft. to more than 200,000 sq. ft., the floor coating should eliminate the need for regular maintenance and make the surface easy to clean.  

Chemical Resistance

The hangar flooring must be able to withstand both long and short term exposure to substances such as lubricants, corrosive clean-up liquids, fire resistant hydraulic fluids, special aviation fuels, and hot tires of aircrafts after landing. The floor coating must be able to prevent surface staining and deterioration.

Markings and Strips

Depending on the number of aircrafts the hangar can accommodate, its size, and the standards used at the facility, different striping and floor markings are applied on the floor to allocate areas and define boundaries. These markings and strips must be applied with the same floor coatings in order to leverage from the same high performance properties.

Advantages of Design-Build Hangar Projects

When constructing something as robust and large-scale as an aviation hangar, it is crucial to opt for the method that best conforms to the intended objectives. Aviation hangar projects need to be built with efficient engineering and architectural design practices. In the construction sector, the design-build method is well known for its wide range of benefits. The design approach entails that every aspect of the project, from design to execution, is carried out by a single team of contractors as opposed to subcontracting to multiple entities. This approach has a range of benefits; these are as follows.

Faster project completion time

Hangar projects that are given to a single contractor can result in a substantial reduction in delays that occur when multiple entities oversee a project. This is because a single entity is free from many communication lags that are often present when separate teams of builders, engineers, technicians come together. It can take a considerable amount of time in understanding the overall layout and specifications and to ensure that all materials and production goes according to plan.

Greater quality

When one entity is involved, the project has a higher chance of being completed according to the right specification and layout. This is because a project as complex as an aviation hangar consists of multiple interconnecting activities and tasks, which can be difficult to execute if they are dependent on a separate team. A design-build approach ensures everyone is on the same page when it comes to building the hangar.

Furthermore, a single entity usually has greater expertise in overseeing all areas of the project, resulting in greater quality and precision. They are more than likely to have expert knowledge on how buildings should be sequenced on top of another and ensuring it has sufficient weight to support aircrafts.

Single source o f accountability

The design-build approach also has the advantage of giving greater transparency and accountability in understanding project mishaps or successes. When multiple contractors are involved, it distorts the feedback process and makes it difficult to single out one particular team for their contribution. The single entity can give a better estimate of the price and cost of the project as they will be in charge of managing both design and execution. All costs from utilities, construction, and landscape allowances are considered well before construction takes place which helps avoid any instances of redesign and renovation.