Structural Sensing of Corrosion in 5XXX-Series Aluminum

Acellent Technologies, Inc. (Acellent) proposes to develop a Highly sensitive Ultrasonic system consisting of Long Lasting SMART sensors (SMART HULL) utilizing Acellent"s SMART Layer technology to detect and continuously monitor corrosion damages in ship structures. The proposed system will be immensely valuable for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) or Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), and other newer ships that are using new hull forms and structural materials such as 5XXX-series aluminum, whose physical properties and future degradation potential are not completely understood. These multilayered structures are vulnerable to hostile environmental conditions and are prone to developing pitting corrosion and other forms of corrosion. Acellent proposes that the sensors will be mounted on the inside of the hull during the manufacturing process. The primary objective will be to use minimal number of sensors with high end sensitivity of corrosion detection in 5xxx-series aluminum. The proposed Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems will be specifically designed to detect damages in multi-layered structural components (up to three layers) under harsh environmental condition. The system will be integrated with a portable hardware device which will scan the desired area of the structure couple of times a day or as specified by the user.