Vietnamese scientists use secret powder to create military aircraft roofing materials

In 1990, at that time, Prof. Tran Vinh Dieu was the Director of the Center for Polymer and Composite Materials Research, Hanoi University of Science and Technology received an order from the Air Defense – Air Force to build an arches to cover the aircraft. The reason many military aircraft are not shielded, the components quickly deteriorate.

Professor Dieu recalled “this task is very difficult because the team must simultaneously resolve two requirements: using domestic materials to reduce costs and ensure standard quality materials.”

Based on the experience of applying composite in patching gasoline pipes and wooden boats for Ho Tay boat, he and his colleagues began to calculate and test. The group used a fiberglass composite combined with inorganic powder to make an arch house to cover the aircraft. According to Professor Dieu, fiberglass reinforced composite still has defects and inorganic powder to overcome and enhance the durability of the material.

At that time, the fiberglass was imported via urinary tract from China due to an embargo, resulting in uneven fiberglass size, sticking to mud. The team takes a lot of time to classify, hygiene and dried with a drying cabinet by a book printing company.

In addition to fiberglass must be ordered from abroad, inorganic powder used in the project is completely derived from Vietnam. This is the product of the oil and gas industry. This powder not only enhances the durability of the material but also helps save production costs. “So far, the specific ingredient of this powder is still the technical secret of the Center for Polymer and Composite Material Research,” Professor said.

To build a dome house enough to cover a MiG -21 aircraft with a height of 6 meters and a width of 12 meters at the request of the air defense – Air Force, the group divides the arch structure into modules for easy manufacturing , shipping and assembly. In the process of casting the modules, Prof. Dieu and the research team encountered mold -stickyness, making it difficult to manufacture. At that time, Vietnam did not have anti -stick, the group had to study the non -stick solution from PVA materials, helping to accelerate the manufacturing speed.

After many failures, the top of the arch house is cracked, the group must change the assembly method. The tests were then successful and the first arch houses were installed by the team at the double airport (Bac Giang). From the initial quantity, the arch house at the dual airport increased gradually to 29. After that, the installation of arches was expanded to other airports such as Yen Bai, Noi Bai and Golden Star. Through the use process, the arches of the aircraft of the Center for Polymer and Composite Materials Research Center have proven sustainable and effective.

Prof. Bui Chuong, former Director of the Center for Polymer and Composite Material Research, said the center is the first unit in Vietnam to combine the mixture of a mixture of fiberglass and inorganic powder. This combination makes a big difference for the center’s composite products compared to other products on the market.

Prof. Dr. Tran Vinh Dieu, 86 years old, hometown of Ha Tinh. In his scientific career, he is attached to the direction of general research and application of polymers on the basis of laccol; Fabrication of polymer materials for fiberglass, aramit and carbon and nanopolyme materials.

He was one of the first scientists to receive the state award in the field of material science in 2005. He was honored with the project “High quality combinations using Vietnamese raw materials”, in It is prominent as the research and manufacturing of the arch of military aircraft from the 90s. In May 2024, Prof. Tran Vinh Dieu and scientists of Phenikaa University won the first prize in the material technology field. In the 29th VIFOTEC contest with the “Technology Research and Construction of unsaturated polyester plastic manufacturers (PEKN) with a capacity of 25,000 tons/year serving the production of artificial stone quartz”.