Field Application of Cold Spray for Repairs in the Navy and Industry

US Navy, industrial and commercial aircraft and vessels experience severe environmental conditions leading to corrosion damage. Cold spray offers advantages for the repair of corrosion damage in susceptible Mg and Al structures and for the replacement of environmentally challenging techniques such as Cd and Cr conversion / hard coatings. Cold spray corrosion mitigation and repair are TRL6-TRL8 for many applications and have a high manufacturing readiness of >MRL6 allowing for easy approval and application. Cold spray systems exist commercially, however they are either low-pressure systems which cannot achieve requisite properties for demanding applications, are not ruggedized, or are large and do not allow for shipboard and flight line repairs, where in-situ repair realizes a significant cost avoidance. VRC has developed ruggedized, portable, and hatch-able cold spray systems to meet these Naval and industry needs, including the VRC Dragonfly™ hatch-able cold spray solution and the VRC Raptor™ ruggedized system, which can be augmented with the RUAG FCT-developed trailer system containing portable power supply, gas supply, and extendable robotic platform, enabling unprecedented levels of system portability. These innovative cold spray technologies allow for the in-situ repair of corrosion damage, providing new cost-effective solutions for the rapid repair of our strategic weapon systems.