SBIR-STTR Award

The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel, low-cost corrosion inhibiting material that self activates when exposed to moisture and is compatible with common manufacturing process. The primary goal is to enhance corrosion inhibition techniques at the manufacturing level and provide design engineering with the capability of built-in protection and thus, better control of overall life-cycle costs. A proven system will allow for significant reductions in costs incurred. The result of this project will have application to virtually all military weapons systems. American Metal Processing (AMPRO) is a leader in metallurgical processes, corrosion management and corrosion inhibitor development. AMPRO has an established database of unique corrosion management and corrosion inhibitor systems and companies that will be targeted for the investigation. AMPRO will effectively use its extensive research base from previous corrosion research to quickly preview the entire industry and to strenuously test and reformulate state-of-the-art products. Substantial university resources are available to test, evaluate and help improve existing technologies.

Keywords:
Corrosion, Inhibitor, Low Cost, Moisture, Self-Activate, Protective, Vci, Non-Toxic, Iccp

The current inventory of Department of Defense shelters and ancillary equipment relies on metallic structures as well as aluminum/foam and beam panels that are extremely susceptible to corrosion. The primary reason for field and depot level repairs of military equipment is corrosion. Metallic weapon systems and their components require extensive corrosion protection to extend service life and prevent operational failures. Current practices consist of polyurethane primers and topcoats for corrosion protection of metallic surfaces and structural members. These maintenance processes require significant resources (approximately 800 million dollars per year) for corrosion treatment applications and the related Haz-Mat disposal processes. Internal corrosion is especially harmful due to the absence of non-destructive methods for detection, prevention, removal or treatment. In order to mitigate the problem of internal corrosion, and reduce the associated costs that accompany it, an inhibitor that self-activates when exposed to moisture and effectively prevents the sustaining of corrosive conditions is a very effective option. In order to minimize the cost impact of such a system as well as reduce overall life-cycle costs, efficient integration and design into current manufacturing processes will be essential.

Keywords:
ICCP, SELF-ACTIVATE, ELASTOMERS, VCI, INHIBITOR, C