Instrumented Test Coupons and Monitoring System for Improved Materials Performance Evaluations

ABSTRACT: The annual cost of corrosion for Air Force aircraft and missiles is estimated to $5.4 billion with corrosion accounting for 32.2% of the maintenance budget. Besides these costs, corrosion also adversely impacts safety and readiness. In large part, corrosion control is achieved through materials selection based on accelerated laboratory corrosion and service environment testing. Although advances have been made in the development of more representative accelerated corrosion test cycles, similar advancements in test coupon design and instrumentation have not been realized. To address this need, Luna is developing a reliable measurement system that improves the corrosion evaluation of aircraft materials to achieve design life requirements. The measurement system will be useful for materials development, materials substitution testing, and establishing performance requirements during acquisition. The system will include a module for testing corrosion fatigue susceptibility of alloys with protective coatings. The measurement system will support risk mitigation associated with new coating introductions. Within the aircraft structural integrity program (ASIP), this measurment system would support technology and system development, demonstration, and be useful for surveying usage environments. BENEFIT: The coating and corrosion evaluation system has the potential to: support high throughput characterization for coating development, improve coating qualification processes, support accelerated test method development, validate usage environment assumptions, and improve monitoring systems for individual asset tracking and fleet management. The measurement system would address dual use commercial and military markets in marine, aerospace, transportation, and infrastructure applications.