TDA RESEARCH, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF183-016

Description

Aluminum and magnesium alloys are very attractive to the military and aerospace industry because of their high strength to weight ratios. In particular, Mg alloys are an ideal material for gear boxes because have good tensile strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures and excellent vibration damping characteristics. High strength cast aluminum alloys are also used for power-train applications including engine blocks, cylinder heads, pistons, transmission cases, and oil pans. The Air Force uses die-cast magnesium and aluminum alloys on many platforms in their secondary power system. However, corrosion of these high value components is a significant and costly issue; these parts are complex, have low tolerance for material loss due to corrosion, and are expensive to repair. The Air Force needs a better way to mitigate this corrosion. Since power system components are made of both cast Mg and Al alloys, an ideal corrosion resistant coating should provide excellent protection on both alloys. TDA has already developed corrosion inhibitor packages for magnesium and aluminum alloys. These additives will be formulated into a new corrosion resistant coating. In the Phase I project we will prepare test coupons and demonstrate the coating’s corrosion inhibition and robust physical properties.