W. E. Frazier, NAVAIR-Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD; J. Waldman, Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation, Warmister, PA
The participants in the steel workshop sessions validated and modified the S&T objectives for achieving the goal of developing ultra high strength intrinsically corrosion steels for enhanced readiness, improved performance and lower life cycle cost for Navy aircraft. The objectives were: (1) steels with AerMet 100-type alloys mechanical properties and 3X improvement in KISCC, (2) ultra high strength stainless steels and (3) bearing steels with corrosion performance similar to 15-5 alloy and wear resistance 2X that of 52100 steel and Pyrowear 53. The various technical challenges for each technical objective were categorized into the following areas: (1) mechanisms and modeling, (2) manufacturing (3) design (4) materials qualification and (5) return on investment. Although materials qualification and return on investment (cost) were considered important issues, the participants decided that for each objective, the technical challenges of mechanisms and modeling, manufacturing and design were the technical challenges that had to be solved in order to achieve the objectives.
The participants then developed technical approaches to overcome the technical challenges. Based on the technical approaches, critical research areas were established which if carried out, would result in achieving the technical objectives for the steels. These critical research areas were: (1) Transgranular Cracking in the Presence of Hydrogen, (2)Hydrogen Uptake Control in Ultra High Strength Steels, (3) Passivation of Ultra High Strength Steels, (4) Tribology of Passivated Steel Surfaces and (5) Inherently Corrosion Resistant, Ultra High Strength Steels. Details of the Steel Workshop sessions will be presented.
Summary: On November 8-9 2006, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) conducted a government-industry workshop on the development of corrosion resistant alloys. The workshop was aligned with the Naval Aviation Enterprise Science and Technology Strategic Plan and in support of the Command’s Fleet driven metric, Aircraft Ready for Tasking at Reduced Cost. The Workshop focused on three classes of structural aerospace alloys: aluminum, ultra high strength steels and cast magnesium. The Workshop provided a forum for experts from DoD, industry and academia to share their views and recommendations. The principal goal was to identify potential S&T approaches for the development of corrosion resistant alloys. Over 75 national and international experts participated including representatives from the US, UK, Canada and Korea. The GOTChA (Goals, Objectives, Technical Challenges and Approaches) methodology was used to structure the workshop. For each alloy system, three specific materials property objectives were validated and refined by the participants of the workshop. The participants then determined the scientific and technical challenges associated with achieving these objectives. For each technical objective, the participants then prioritized the challenges and then identified and prioritized viable scientific and technical approaches. Thus, the workshop provided a clear linkage between goals, objectives, technical challenges and possible approaches.
