Booting for Central Research Laboratories' manipulators is used to cover the slave arm and thru tube section within the cell. This reduces slave arm contamination and prevents air flow into or out of the cell.
CRL makes two types of manipulator boots:
Polyurethane has excellent resistance to radiation and ozone and has excellent mechanical properties in resisting punctures, tears and abrasion. The material shows good resistance to minerals oils, gasoline, animal oils and alkalies. The resistance to solvents is excellent for aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons and poor for oxygenated solvents and lacquer solvents.
Its chief drawback for a manipulator boot is its poor resistance to acids. Where resistance to acids is important, excellent protection can be provided to the boot by coating the polyurethane with Hypalon®.
In general, the polyurethane is sprayed to achieve a thickness of 0.025 inches (0.64 mm). Depending on the function of the individual boot component, the thickness will vary to satisfy design requirements. Where it is necessary to have good flexibility for operator feel, the components will be thinner. Where mechanical abrasion resistance is more important than flexibility, the components will be thicker. The boot is also customized to meet the requirements of the individual customer.
When the polyurethane is coated with Hypalon®, the boot retains the good characteristics of polyurethane and the Hypalon® coat gives it excellent resistance to acids. The Hypalon® shows good resistance to mineral oils, gasoline, animal oils and alkalies. The resistance to solvents is good for aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons and poor for oxygenated solvents and lacquer solvents.
In general, the thickness of the Hypalon® overcoat applied to the polyurethane is 0.005 inches (0.13 mm).
CRL booting has a shelf life of approximately two years from assembly.
The useful service life of a boot assembly depends greatly on the cell environment and the type of work being done. Most boot assemblies are replaced because they are snagged, punctured, torn or burned on in-cell equipment. The average service life of a boot assembly is 1 to 3 years.
Material samples for testing purposes can be produced by contacting Central Research Laboratories (by E-mail at sales@centres.com or by phone at (651) 385-2142.)
Hypalon® is a registered trademark of Dupont Dow Elastomers
Telemanipulators | Nuclear Products | Home