DoD Corrosion Conference to Spotlight Latest Technology in Fleet and Infrastructure Maintenance

Officials Invite Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton

By Cynthia Greenwood and Ben Craig

In pursuing a comprehensive strategy to battle corrosion, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will sponsor its next biennial conference with the goal of seeking out the most advanced technologies to enhance "corrosion hardened" procurement, operation, and maintenance policies across the military.

From August 10 to 14, 2009, military corrosion experts and DoD officials will meet at the Gaylord National Hotel in greater Washington, DC, at the Maryland National Harbor south of the Wilson Bridge. The show features the largest technical program ever presented at the DoD Corrosion Conference since it first convened in 1967 as the Tri-Service Corrosion Conference.

“We are presenting 118 technical papers in 14 different technology areas, and we expect the largest attendance of DoD-focused corrosion technologists compared to past conferences," says Airan Perez, the conference technical chair and corrosion program officer at the Office of Naval Research.

“Coatings are the first defense against corrosion and the most economical way of preventing corrosion," he says. "Our technical sessions include a variety of coatings panels, such as Inorganic Coatings, Paints and Coatings, Metallic and Metal-Rich Coatings, and Coating Removal and Surface Treatment.”

“Myriad experts will also present papers on the subjects of Modeling, Facilities Corrosion Management, Corrosion Monitoring and Assessment, and Corrosion Management Tools, among others," Perez adds. Most technical sessions feature between six and 12 papers. View the technical program online.

Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton has been invited to deliver the keynote speech at the Wednesday luncheon. Staff members from the House and Senate Armed Services Committee and Government Accountability Office (GAO) have been invited to lead a luncheon panel on Monday.

DoD policies, instruction, and law regarding corrosion as it impacts procurement and life cycle costs are also a key part of the 2009 DoD Corrosion Conference agenda. "Information exchanged between the DoD, private industry, academia, and other agencies will be used to reduce the negative impacts of corrosion on costs, safety, and readiness," says Daniel J. Dunmire, director of the DoD Corrosion Policy and Oversight Office and conference chair. Following Sutton's keynote address, DoD program executives, program managers, and officials from the DoD acquisition office will appear on a panel discussion.

“Some of the latest advances in corrosion technology and a review of jointly funded projects spearheaded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military departments will be discussed in some detail," says Dunmire. "At the same time, the larger and more cosmopolitan community of attendees offers an excellent networking opportunity for both government and industry participants. Furthermore, the conference provides DoD the benefit of feedback, assessments, and recommendations from recognized academic and professional experts in the corrosion field as well as personnel who procure, use, and maintain military materiel, equipment, and infrastructure.

The DoD-sponsored biennial conference features the U.S. Navy as the organizer of the technical program and NACE International as a source of conference presenters. The conference will feature 14 technical sessions that cover everything from corrosion-resistant materials, coatings, and modeling to facilities corrosion management, accelerated testing, and the impact of corrosion prevention and control. Some notable papers that will be presented focus on topics ranging from the traditional corrosion prevention and control strategies, corrosion management tools, and state-of-the-art technologies, to clever, albeit slightly unusual, corrosion inhibitors.

Preview of Technical Presentations

Following is a brief preview of a few of the many papers that will be presented during the technical sessions in August.

Modeling Intergranular Corrosion Spreading in Sensitized AA5083 and Stainless Steel with Experimental Verifications
Newer U.S. Navy vessels, such as the Littoral Combat Ship and the experimental X-Craft, are using greater amounts of aluminum-magnesium alloys because of their easily tailored mechanical, welding, and corrosion-resistance properties. These alloys exhibit intergranular corrosion, though, which can lead to stress corrosion cracking and ultimately, component failure. This presentation will feature the development of an integrated model to quantify the risks in alloy selection and to facilitate the establishment of maintenance, mitigation, and operation capability parameters of 5XXX-series aluminum alloys.

Anti-Corrosion Nanotechnology Solutions for the Army
The U.S. military is capable of engaging and defeating its adversaries on any battlefield, and waging war on corrosion is no different. Since corrosion occurs on an atomic and molecular level, the Army has descended to the nano-scale to combat and defeat this insidious enemy. The presentation will review an effort to develop and deploy a measured strategy consisting of policy, procedure, research and development, and acquisition elements involving nano-scale technologies for corrosion prevention and control.

Enhanced Corrosion Protection for the H-60 Helicopter
The H-60 rotorcraft platform has been a workhorse weapon system for the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps for decades. During this time, known corrosion problems have been well documented. Rather than relying on maintenance approaches, Sikorsky Aircraft, the H-60 manufacturer, has proactively begun implementing new designs for problematic components. This presentation will detail some of the improved, corrosion-resistant designs used on the platformís two recent model upgrades.

Green Tea Extract as a Natural Effective Oxygen Scavenger
Corrosion protection comes in all shapes and sizes, but new corrosion inhibition technology sometimes comes from a surprising and unusual source. The author of this paper will discuss a natural and environmentally safe product for corrosion protection applications.

For more information about the DoD Corrosion Conference related to registration, technical sessions, presentation topics, exhibits, the student poster session, and the timing of future announcements, visit the DoD Corrosion Conference web site.

Proposed schedule for the DoD Corrosion Conference:

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