Non-Chromate, ZVOC Coatings for Steel Substrates on Army and Navy Aircraft and Ground Vehicles

WP-200906

Objective

Under SERDP project WP-1521, Non-Chromate/No-VOC Coating Systems for DoD Applications, researchers assessed a number of promising coatings and pretreatments in the laboratory. With the ultimate goal of eliminating and/or reducing volatile organic compounds (VOC) and hexavalent chromium-based processes, the following systems require additional demonstration and validation on Army and Navy systems before they can be implemented: (1) phosphated steel that is rinsed or post-treated with trivalent chromium or non-chromium solution, primed with non-chromated primer, and topcoated with low- or zero-VOC topcoat and (2) steel that is pretreated directly with trivalent chromium or non-chromium solution, primed with non-chromated primer, and topcoated with low- or zero-VOC (ZVOC) topcoat.

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Technology Description

Both of these coating systems eliminate hexavalent chromium and reduce or eliminate VOCs from the application and removal of currently used coatings on components and systems. Phosphated steel is currently rinsed with a hexavalent chromium solution to achieve desired corrosion resistance and paint adhesion. Processes at Corpus Christi Army Depot and Navy Fleet Readiness Center Cherry Point are targeted demonstration and implementation sites for the alternative rinse solutions. Up to 90% of all Army ground vehicles are processed using chromated wash primer on grit blasted steel. Direct inorganic coating of steel is a novel alternative to wash priming and offers the potential to eliminate grit blasting, hexavalent chromium, and all solvents associated with the wash primer. The inorganic coating process is water-based with very low levels or no trivalent chromium. Processes at Letterkenny Army Depot are targeted for demonstration and implementation of the alternative steel pretreatment.

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Benefits

Implementation of these new processes will assist the Department of Defense in attaining anticipated environmental compliance objectives while simultaneously reducing costs by eliminating or reducing hazardous waste streams and directly decreasing risk to the laborers on production lines. In situations where hexavalent chromium-based conversion coatings were eliminated without viable replacements, there will be return on investment dividends from decreased lifecycle costs due to gains in corrosion resistance from increased coating system durability. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2013)

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Points of Contact

Principal Investigator

Mr. John Kelley

U.S. Army Research Laboratory (USARL)

Phone: 410-306-0837

Program Manager

Weapons Systems and Platforms

SERDP and ESTCP

Document Types

  • Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
  • Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
  • Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
  • Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
  • Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
  • Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
  • Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
  • Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
  • Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.