LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: The tow cable strands used to tow the AQS-20A from the RMMV are made from Nitronic 50, an

Description

The tow cable strands used to tow the AQS-20A from the RMMV are made from Nitronic 50, an austenitic stainless steel that, under normal circumstances, exhibits excellent corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. Unfortunately, the cables are experiencing early life corrosion problems due to salt water deposit buildup that occurs over repeated operations and subsequent system stowage. Because of the difficulty and logistics associated with retrieving and storing the RMS on the LCS platform, freshwater rinsing and other cleaning methods are unacceptable. Therefore, Luna Innovations and its team will apply a sol-gel derived, mechanically-durable and optically-transparent, hydrophobic coating that has excellent watershedding properties and that is easily applied to RMS tow cables in a thin and low-cost package. The primary function of the coating will be to shed salt water through its inherent hydrophobic nature as the RMS is retrieved from the sea. This capability will drastically reduce the propensity of salt accumulation on the stainless steel tow cable assembly. In addition, Luna will include corrosion inhibiting compounds and/or pigments to provide a secondary line of defense against corrosion processes.