Implementation of Corrosion Control

Technologies within the U.S. Department of

Defense

The 19th International Congress on

Marine Corrosion and Fouling

Melbourne, Florida

Rich Hays

Senior Corrosion Engineer, Excet Inc.

How Many Laws Govern Corrosion?

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

“Every process occurring in nature proceeds in the sense in which the sum of

the entropies of all bodies taking part in the process is increased. In the limit,

i.e. for reversible processes, the sum of the entropies remains unchanged.”

(Planck)

10 U.S.C. 2228

“…the deterioration of a material or its properties due to a reaction of that

material with its chemical environment.”

Corrosion Examples

General and Crevice Corrosion of Steel

Alkali-Silica Reaction in Concrete

Environmentally Influenced Cracking

uV Degradation of Organic Coating System

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Degradation of fabrics in tropical environment

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Impact of Corrosion on the U.S. DoD*

Fiscal

Year(s)

Segment Annual Cost of

Corrosion

($B)

Corrosion as a

% of

Maintenance

2009-2011 Facilities 3.0 14.4

2016 Army Aviation and

Missiles

1.1 15.2

2016 AF Aircraft and Missiles 5.7 19.5

2016 Navy Ships 3.5 20.1

2016 Army Ground Vehicles 1.2 14.7

2016 USMC Ground Vehicles 0.5 25.3

2016 Navy and USMC

Aviation

3.4 27.9

2016 Other 2.2 16.7

Total 20.6 20.7

*LMI study – to be published

DoD Corrosion Prevention and Control

Strategy

Activities

– Policy Development and Implementation

– Acquisition Oversight and Risk Reduction

– Workforce Development

– Corrosion Metrics Collection and Analysis

– Specifications and Standards

– Communication and Outreach

Project and Research Sponsorship

– Demonstration/Implementation Projects through

Military Departments

– Technical Corrosion Collaboration

Technology Demonstration/Implementation Projects

Objective – Implement mature corrosion control

technologies in new and existing weapon systems and

facilities

Military Department-generated projects to qualify products and processes

Demonstrate effectiveness in operational systems

Update technical and logistics documentation

Execution – 310 Projects funded from 2005-2017 with

>$100M Investment

Results - ~17:1 Return-on-Investment

TECHNICAL BARRIERS

Use of standard testing protocols?

Tailoring protocols for the technology and intended application

Inherent inaccuracy with respect to predicting performance under

operational conditions

Testing and performance assessments must be synchronized with operational

schedules

Usually costly to perform – low number of replications

Lack of control over (and sometimes knowledge of) the actual operating

environment

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Develop comprehensive plans addressing the following

questions:

– Will the testing provide sufficient data to demonstrate performance

effectiveness in the operational environment?

– Will the testing elucidate any risks associated with the technology?

– Will the tests verify the operational suitability of the technology?

– Do the tests address the impact of implementing the technology on

system operation and maintenance? In the case of new coatings for

example, will the tests include reparability and strippability?

– Are there other tests such as occupational health and safety and

environmental compliance that need to be performed?

Engage with the approving authority!

OVERCOMING TECHNICAL BARRIERS

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ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS

What standards must be met or

developed?

Costly and/or time consuming

Desire for multiple suppliers

Introduction of product to logistics

activities

(e.g., obtaining NSNs)

Does implementing the technology place a training

burden on the user?

“Corrosion takes time”

Resources can be diverted to tech with shorter development

time

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Recognize their existence – and which ones apply to a specific

technology

Communicate with the stakeholders that have the ability to

define, remove, or lower a given barrier

Include resources (time and funding) for overcoming the

barriers as a part of the plan

OVERCOMING ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS

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In-Situ Coatings for Steel Pilings

Objective – Demonstrate In-Situ

Application of a High-Build, Water

Tolerant Epoxy to Preserve Sheet Pile on

Dam Structures

Technology:

• Limpet Cofferdam – self-sealing,

rapidly movable

• Coating System

o 2K amine epoxy

o 100% solids

o Cures underwater

o Single coat – sprayable up to 40

mils

Lessons Learned:

• Perform comprehensive pre-job

inspection – damage to sheet pile was

greater than expected; repairs

impacted schedule and cost

• Develop rapid method for sealing

leaks

• Pin holes in coating were observed

in areas of severe pitting

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High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Polymer

Composites For Water Control Structures

Objective – Demonstrate the use of

custom designed high-performance fiber

reinforced polymer (FRP) thermoplastic

and thermoset composite materials on a

spillway dam structure

Technology:

• Replace deteriorated concrete with

thermoplastic composite materials -

good toughness and can be installed

as modular units)

• Replace spillway gates with

thermoset composite materials - good

water resistance, high stiffness, and

easily formable to the shape

Lessons Learned:

• Structural design criteria had to be

developed

• The wide range of FRP materials

available makes specifications

challenging

• Hardware still susceptible to

corrosion

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Tank Monitoring for Ship Ballast Tanks

Objective – Replace the current time-

based tank and void inspection method

(open, gas-free, and inspect) with a Tank

Monitoring Systems (TMS).

Technology:

• Three major components:

o Instrumented zinc anode

o 3-6 Ag/AgCl reference electrodes

o Waterproof enclosed datalogger

system

• Measured potentials and magnitude

of anode current output provides

information on the condition of the

coating system

Lessons Learned:

• Implementation required major

changes to the Navy’s tank

maintenance strategy

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Rapid Cure Coatings for Well Decks

Objective – Transition products

identified/developed under the ONR

FNC/TOC Single Coat program, as well

as incorporate newly developed products

and processes specifically designed for

well deck applications

Technology:

• Rapid cure solvent free plural

component epoxies and

polyurethanes.

• Cure times:

o Standard epoxies 8-12 hrs

o Rapid cure epoxies 1-3 hrs

o Polyurethanes ~30 minutes

• Improved production rates and

rapid return to service

Lessons Learned:

• Polyurethanes required the use of

an impingement mixing gun and

highly trained applicators

• Slower curing epoxies were more

forgiving from an application

standpoint

• Performance-based specification

had to be updated

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Single-Component Polysiloxane Topside Coating

Objective – Implement a single-

component, easy to apply, and long-term

exterior durable (color and gloss

retentive) topside coating for touch-up

and repair on Navy ships

Technology:

• Low VOC single-component

polysiloxane coating

• Depot or field level touch-up and

repair of topside coatings

• Applied direct-to-metal or over an

epoxy primer

Lessons Learned:

• Small percentage changes (e.g.,

0.25 wt. %) in catalyst had significant

effects on the dry times and resulting

appearance when applied under hot

conditions

• Single-component system

eliminated mixing errors during

application

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Polyurethane Gaskets for Topside Ship Applications

Objective – Determine the efficacy of

installing polyurethane conductive

gaskets for antennas that require

electrical connectivity with the ship's

ground

Technology:

• Polyurethane gaskets with an

embedded aluminum mesh

• Successfully implemented on

aviation systems prior to this project

• Galvanic isolation while

maintaining electrical conductivity

between antenna and mounting base

Lessons Learned:

• Implementation required:

o Development of a new procurement

specification

o Changes to ships’ preventative

maintenance system

o Inclusion of the gaskets in the Navy

supply system

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Low Voltage Anodes for Corrosion Protection of High

Strength Materials

Objective – Develop low voltage anodes

to prevent hydrogen embrittlement of

high strength components

Technology:

• Conventional anodes

• Resistor-modified cabling

• Demonstrated successfully both in

the laboratory and aboard a USCG

vessel

Lessons Learned:

• The vendor that assembled the

prototype circuit was acquired by

another company and the

development of the circuit was halted

• The Navy’s CP design criteria

required modification

• A parallel program developed an

alloy composition that met

requirements

Technology development is difficult but is necessary to assist

in reducing the impact of corrosion on assets

Sometimes, technology implementation can be more difficult

than the development

Understanding the types of barriers to implementation that can

be encountered and having plans for overcoming them

significantly improves the chances that technologies will be

adopted and implemented.

Communicating with the approving authorities and users

before, during, and after engaging in a technology program is

key – “It’s a Team Sport”

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Summary