U.S. Coast Guard Wages War on Corrosion
Training Helps Reduce Hull Failures and Keeps Fleet Fully Deployed
By Kathy Riggs Larsen
Along the southeastern coast of the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard has declared war on an enemy that is particularly treacherous in this region. The Coast Guard has emerged as the victor after carrying out a new strategy for coating application and inspection training to combat corrosion on a fleet of high tempo, high maintenance (HTHM) cutters.
The Coast Guard defends this country’s maritime borders and helps sustain the Maritime Transportation System, the marine portion of the national transportation system. It also responds to disasters involving the nation’s waterways and saves those in peril. To carry out this charge, its assets must be service and mission ready. Read More ...
Air Force Moves to Certify Infrastructure for Fuel Blend
Effort Advances Goal of a Secure and Environmentally Sound Energy Strategy
By Cynthia Greenwood
In order to meet aviation fuel demands in the face of energy security concerns and the quest for greener fuels, the United States Air Force is evaluating the introduction of bio-based fuel blends into its aircraft and fuels infrastructure. While the use of bio-based jet fuels has been in the news lately, what has been less visible are the details associated with transporting the fuel to the aircraft.
“Before we can go prime time with bio-based fuels, we want to understand their compatibility with our existing fuels infrastructure. Our desire is to use a drop-in fuel that requires no change to existing piping, storage tanks, and pumping facilities when these bio-based fuel blends are fully operational,” said Michael Zapata, the Air Force Fuels Engineer at the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA). Read More ...
A Study of How Corrosion Affects Electromagnetic Devices (and How They Impact Corrosion)
By Chris Grethlein, Merchant Adams, and Bill Hogge
Past issues of CorrDefense are replete with examples of how corrosion impacts the readiness and missions of the DoD’s myriad weapons platforms and facilities. For the most part, these stories have examined mission impact from the standpoint of an asset’s mechanical or structural performance.
But what about the impacts of corrosion to an asset’s electrical systems? More specifically, how does corrosion affect a platform’s electromagnetic performance, and quite possibly, how do electromagnetic emissions affect corrosion? For an entire class of weapons systems, these questions are more than academic ones. Read More ...
Corrosion Office Deepens Partnership with Universities
Government and Academe Raise Expectations for Collaboration
By Cynthia Greenwood
The Department of Defense has raised the stakes of a four-year-old partnership that aligns the research goals of DoD corrosion prevention experts with those of university scientists.
“We are in the process of creating this simplified, accessible tool using cost and performance parameters so that program managers can make smart decisions about using hex chrome as systems are designed,” said Daniel J. Dunmire, director of the DoD Corrosion Policy and Oversight Office. Read More ...
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