Corrosion is a billion-dollar problem for the U.S. Navy as constant operations in abrasive environments put its equipment under significant duress. A 2014 U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) report estimated that roughly $3 billion is spent annually fighting corrosion on Navy ships and vessels—nearly one-quarter of its overall maintenance expenses. And these costs aren’t limited to maritime equipment—between 2017 and 2020, the U.S. Navy spent more than $2 billion on corrosion maintenance for its F/A-18C-G fleet alone.
Independent nonprofit science and technology research organization Battelle has helped the DoD identify and address many corrosion challenges. Its multidisciplinary, comprehensive materials science and engineering expertise is a one-stop-shop to solve the most challenging material problems. In its well-equipped facilities, Battelle performs systematic material characterization assessments, material development, performance test and evaluations, and specific failure analysis. When Battelle’s full capabilities are brought to the table, myriad challenges can be solved to minimize maintenance costs and ensure critical systems are always mission ready.
Fighting Corrosion Requires Tailored Solutions
The U.S. Navy’s equipment and assets execute different missions in diverse environments, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution to its corrosion challenges. Operating environments for Navy surface ships, submersibles, and aircrafts vary significantly, depending on location, usage, the materials involved, the age of the equipment and more.
Battelle has multiple indoor and outdoor facilities for research and development, characterization, and the testing and evaluation of advanced materials. The laboratories at Battelle’s Center for the Characterization of Advanced Materials (CCAM) are explicitly designed for coatings research and development and have advanced characterization systems for spectroscopy, microscopy, failure prediction, and analysis. The Center also houses equipment for accelerated weathering and cyclic exposures, which enables Battelle to evaluate the impact of various environmental conditions on specific materials.
At its one-of-a-kind Florida Materials Research Facility (FMRF), Battelle can conduct outdoor materials characterization to assess atmospheric and marine exposure of materials. (see Figure 1.) It’s located in one of the most corrosive environments on Earth and the property includes the only commercial oceanfront facility for subtropical exposure studies in the U.S. It’s also equipped with an array of exposure racks and fences that conform to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and two acres of beachfront exposure area less than 70 meters from the Atlantic Ocean. This means Battelle can expose sample materials to nature’s harshest elements. Battelle’s FMRF also boasts access to tropical and subtropical marine fouling organisms with a level of biodiversity that is not achieved further north or south. Battelle can test marine materials, antifouling coatings, and foul-release products in fully submerged, floating waterline and splash zone exposures on its marine immersion dock in the harshest of fouling conditions available. With the ability to perform both ASTM and Military Spec testing, Battelle can support failure analysis, material evaluation, and qualification against the most rigorous standards.
Battelle’s extensive failure analysis expertise also enables it to identify key material properties and conduct analysis of alternatives (AoAs) to achieve system requirements. For example, it has assessed coating vulnerability for specific applications and environments and proposed formulation enhancements to ensure the coating’s integrity and ability to protect the substrate.
Additionally, Battelle has a team of subject matter experts evaluating impacts of fungi, bacteria, and other biological growths on coatings used on a variety of substrates within the DoD. As part of a recent U.S. Air Force project, Battelle worked with a manufacturer to improve the weathering performance and corrosion resistance of a powder coating used on aircraft ground support equipment operating in hot and humid conditions.
Combating the Slow Creep of Corrosion
Battelle is equipped to help the U.S. Navy stay ahead of the corrosion and mitigate corrosion risk to its assets and equipment during deployment and make informed acquisitions and sustainment decisions. For example, Battelle successfully evaluated Supersonic Particle Deposition (SPD), or Cold Spray, a novel additive technology to mitigate galvanic corrosion of NAVAIR gearboxes.
Figure 2: Battelle’s marine dock provides exposure to the most aggressive of marine environments.
Proactive planning and prevention mitigates corrosion risks and can save millions of dollars. For the U.S. Navy, Battelle’s unmatched expertise and ability to offer life-cycle management solutions across multiple systems is particularly germane. These solutions extend the service life of vital assets, improve mission readiness and reduce the total ownership costs—a true win-win scenario.