Pathways Into Corrosion Related Naval Applications

The cost of corrosion to the US military is huge. In 2006–2007 the US Navy spent $3.2 Billion on corrosion related maintenance on ships alone. Additional funds were expended maintaining US Navy aircraft, helicopters and land vehicles. The cost of corrosion must be controlled. It is apparent that extraordinary cost reductions are needed to bring the problem under control. In order to achieve such dramatic improvements changes from conventional methods of construction, inspection and monitoring are necessary. There are ample opportunities for active material technologies if the researcher understands the fundamental corrosion problem. In this paper the author outlines information on US Navy corrosion concerns including examples of recent request for information data calls. It is hoped that this paper will help researchers in the SMASIS community understand the needs associated with US naval corrosion.