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Over the last two decades, blast injuries have turned into one of the most serious threats facing military personnel and civilians in conflict zones. Through Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, improvised explosive devices — better known as IEDs — left behind a devastating trail of hearing loss, severe burns, shrapnel wounds, broken bones, and traumatic amputations.
What catches many people off guard is just how damaging even a so-called “mild” blast exposure can be. Soldiers often deal with lingering headaches, concentration problems, and diminished readiness months or years after the event. That harsh reality drove NATO to invest heavily in blast mitigation testing and blast prevention research — both through medical advancements and through the development of stronger protective materials.
ArmorThane was brought in to demonstrate what its spray-applied polyurea coatings could do under live blast mitigation testing conditions at a NATO facility in Spain. The central question: would a polyurea coating meaningfully reduce the destructive force of a close-range detonation against standard infrastructure?
When we developed ArmorBlast, the idea was simple — build a military-grade polyurea coating tough enough to handle the worst conditions on the planet. It started with a two-component, 100% solid polyurea formula that applicators can spray across a wide temperature range, from 18°F all the way up to 150°F. Once cured, the coating holds up in temperature extremes between -40°F and 350°F without cracking, peeling, or losing structural integrity.
The physical properties tell the real story, though. ArmorBlast delivers exceptional tear and tensile strength while maintaining strong chemical and water resistance — a combination that makes it ideal for blast mitigation, containment, and structural reinforcement. It bonds well to concrete, metal, plastic, and a range of other substrates, which is why it sees regular use on military vehicles, buildings, blast walls, and high-security perimeter structures.
One thing worth mentioning for concrete applications: blow holes in the substrate need to be addressed before applying the coating. Polyurea alone will not fill those voids. Our applicators follow a specific surface preparation protocol to ensure maximum adhesion and performance under stress.
During the five-day blast mitigation testing window at the NATO facility, the team detonated charges of 25kg and 60kg of dynamite at a standoff distance of just 5 meters from the coated blast walls. The results, frankly, surprised everyone on site — including the NATO military personnel supervising the exercise. ArmorThane’s polyurea coating outperformed every other material that had been tested in previous rounds of blast mitigation testing at the same facility.
After the live blast testing wrapped up, the applicator ran a series of adhesion pull tests (ASTM D4541) using 20mm dollies bonded to the coated surface. Each dolly was cored with a 20mm bit and left to cure for 24 hours before being pulled. The numbers speak for themselves:
Pull 1: 619 psi — 95% substrate failure, 5% cohesive failure within the coating Pull 2: 714 psi — 100% substrate failure Pull 3: 488 psi — 100% substrate failure Pull 4: 621 psi — 40% substrate failure, 60% adhesive failure at the coating-substrate bond Pull 5: 251 psi — 75% substrate failure, 25% adhesive failure at the coating-substrate bond Pull 6: 723 psi — 100% substrate failure
In nearly every pull, the concrete substrate gave way before the coating did. That tells you everything about how well ArmorBlast adheres under extreme stress. When the substrate is the weak link — not the coating — you know the protective layer is doing its job. These blast mitigation testing results demonstrate why polyurea has become the go-to material for military-grade structural protection.
For military planners, first responders, and facility managers looking to harden infrastructure against blast threats, these blast mitigation testing numbers carry real weight. A spray-applied polyurea protective coating system that survives a 60kg detonation at close range and then passes rigorous adhesion testing is exactly the kind of solution that saves lives and reduces structural damage in the field.
NATO Command In Spain
Spray coated blast walls for blast mitigation testing.
5 Days of testing applications,
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