SBIR-STTR Award

Secondary Power Systems (SPS) are highly complex, expensive, and mission-critical components.The current corrosion-resistant coating system fails to adequately protect magnesium SPS components from harsh environments and cannot survive the overhaul process (i.e. aggressive cleaning chemicals and media blasting for paint removal).As a result, SPS parts suffer severe corrosion damage and require expensive repairs and/or replacement.Crevice corrosion around steel inserts/fasteners is exacerbated by the galvanic pair of steel and magnesium.IBC Materials proposes a unique solution that couples Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) and Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating technology.With the durable sealed PEO coating system on magnesium, the SPS components will be protected from corrosion, cleaning chemicals and blast media.With a non-conductive DLC coating on steel inserts, the galvanic driving force will be eliminated by stopping electron flow between the magnesium SPS part and the steel insert.In Phase-I, IBC will develop and validate sealed PEO-DLC coating systems at the coupon level, directly comparing results to the current baseline system.Phase-II will continue coupon-level validation, followed by initial scale-up and ground/flight validation of the coating system on actual SPS parts.In Phase-III, the coating system will be further scaled-up and matured for transition to qualified depot-level systems.Corrosion resistant,coating,Magnesium,Secondary Power Systems,Gearbox,cover,Overhaul,alternative

Secondary Power Systems (SPS) are highly complex, expensive, and mission-critical components. The current corrosion-resistant coating system fails to adequately protect SPS components from harsh environments and cannot survive the overhaul process (i.e. aggressive cleaning chemicals and media blasting for paint removal). As a result, SPS parts suffer severe corrosion and wear, requiring expensive repairs and/or replacement. IBC Materials proposes a unique solution that employs Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) coating and sealing technology. With the superior sealed PEO coating system, the SPS components will be sufficiently protected from corrosion, wear damage, and cleaning chemicals. In Phase-II, IBC will optimize performance of sealed PEO coatings on magnesium ZE41A at the coupon level, directly comparing results to the current baseline systems. The coupon-optimized processes will be scaled-up in Phase II by constructing a pilot-scale system and optimizing the processes at scale. The Phase II effort will culminate in the use of the pilot-scale system to apply sealed PEO coating to an actual SPS part. In Phase-III, the sealed, PEO-coated SPS part will be submitted for flight validation testing. The pilot-scale coating system will be further scaled-up and matured in Phase-III for transition to full-scale production and qualified depot-level systems.