Development of Cad Plating Replacement with Zinc Nickel on High Strength Steel Components

The purpose of this effort is to complete additional qualification/validation testing on Dipsol of America IZ-C17+ Low Hydrogen Embrittlement (LHE) Zinc-Nickel (ZnNi) and SIFCO 4018 brush plating for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system components. Currently the USAF cadmium (Cd) plates thousands of steel components, some of which are high strength steel (HSS), to be used as a sacrificial corrosion protective plating. Cadmium is a hazardous substance, known human carcinogen, and has substantial environmental risk factors associated with it. This project will focus on the development, testing, and validation of using LHE ZnNi to plate steel missile components. The primary focus of this project is to perform additional testing to fulfill ICBM missile component requirements that were not completed during the Aircraft Landing Gear LHE ZnNi Phase I and II testing. The planned approach to maturing the technology is to produce the missing data required to incorporate into the ICBM baseline. The captured data will be sufficient to determine if Dipsol LHE ZnNi is a viable candidate to qualify for use on ICBM Aerospace Ground Systems Equipment and if SIFCO 4018 brush plate is a viable candidate for localized repair work on Dipsol LHE ZnNi and Cd.