MULTI SEAL®, the world leading tire sealant company, is stepping into the defense market to provide military end users and fleet managers a cutting-edge product to prevent down time in the field in austere combat environments, maintenance hours and repair costs.
Established in founded in 1981, MULTI SEAL® products are manufactured in the United States specifically for applications in the industrial, agricultural, and power sports tire sealant market.
MULTI SEAL® decided to provide its product line for use in military application after being approached by Special Operations end users and combat developers for use in some of their Light Tactical All-Terrain Vehicles, such as the Polaris MRZR and MV850s, for long range desert mobility operations.
Tire punctures during mobility operations are a huge inhibitor when time and exposure are a factor for successful completion of the mission. MULTI SEAL® reduces the amount of time on the ground to repair a tire in the field. It also provides a longer and faster working sealant for use in combat support, construction and admin vehicles being utilized in combat theaters. A great force multiplier for fleet sustainment operations.
MULTI SEAL® is not a standard tire sealant. It differs from its competitors due to it being a glycol-based Kevlar® fiber infused sealant instead of an adhesive. This provides benefits to the end user for many reasons. A modern tire sealant is a suspension of synthetic fibers and fillers in a thickened ethylene or propylene glycol (anti-freeze) and water “carrier system,” which allows the fibers and fillers to move within the tire in liquid form.
When a puncture occurs, (almost always on the bottom of the tire where the sealant pools when rotating at low and moderate speeds), the air pressure in the tire propels the suspended fibers and fillers into the puncture where the fibers begin to snag on the rubber. In very short order (1 to 3 seconds), the fibers form a tangle in the puncture which stops the escaping air. As the tire rotates, the rubber surrounding the wound flexes and packs more fibers into the wound with each rotation until no more fibers will fit. This is where the fillers come into play. The fillers are extremely small, 2 particles which pack in-between the fibers in the plug, like the mud in a beaver dam, to form a permanent airtight seal that will last the life of the tire.
Based on its unique formula, MULTI SEAL® provides several other key factors that differentiate it from other tire sealants, which they are looking to bring to the military warfighters.
-Glycol based non adhesive formula allows the product to be rinsed out of a tire with just water for when a tire is changed off a rim reducing mess and added work time to repairs for maintainers.
-Its use of Kevlar fibers which act as a tire plug without the need to manually install once the tire is flat, smaller puncture will seal themselves and larger punctures just need to be found, then the refill the tire with the puncture at the six o’clock position allowing gravity to bring the sealant to the puncture.
-Its fillers that form an air tight seal around the Kevlar fibers preventing air from slipping out to create a slow leak.
-Suspension stability allowing the Kevlar fibers to move freely inside the tire, to the location of the puncture, as well as the fact that the fiber will not separate from the sealant like most adhesive tire sealants will.
-Freeze protection. Being a glycol-based product, MULTI SEAL® will continue to perform in -20 to -30 degree weather without freezing of the product eliminating chance of tire vibration
-Inertness of MULTI SEAL® prevents it from chemically reacting to any part to the tire or cure when exposed to air. Ideal for austere real-world environments.
-Non-corrosive, due to the use of the propylene glycol in the sealant, preventing any rust from forming inside the tire or on its hardware or tire presser sensors.
Whatever the application, whether SOF long range ground mobility operations or fleet sustainment by maintainers to keep the service and support vehicles rolling, MULTI SEAL® looks forward to providing a reliable dependable product for our nation’s warfighters.
Defense related questions:
Thomas@blacksidesolutions.com
P: 904-521-9556
