Self-Repairing Corrosion-Inhibiting Coating

Corrosion is potentially the number one cost driver in lifecycle costs throughout the Department of Defense. The total annual direct cost of corrosion incurred by all the military services for systems and infrastructure has recently been estimated to be as much as $20 billion. Materials, energy, labor and technical expertise that would otherwise be available for other uses must be allocated for inspection and corrosion control. Corrosion of naval ships is becoming an increasingly significant problem as the useful lifetime of the ships is extended to control costs. This problem is exacerbated by the movement toward reductions in crew size that limits the availability of personnel to perform corrective and preventative maintenance actions. Self-repairing coatings will reduce the manpower workload requirements in the area of shipboard corrosion control by repairing coating defects that are induced by physical damage or by corrosion underneath the coating. In this Phase I we will demonstrate a coating that contains a self-repair function that will extend the life of coating and the time needed between inspections. BENEFITS: Self-repairing coatings have the potential to reduce both maintenance costs and costs associated with the health and safety of materials used in ships, automobiles, aircraft, and infrastructure applications (e.g. bridges, buildings etc.).