Development of Amorphous Alloy Coatings and the Application Technology for Aircraft Protection

This Small Business Technology Transfer Program Phase I objective is twofold. During both depot and field repair operations the coating system is removed using mechanical and chemical stripping methods that result in removal of some of the metallic cladding. The removal of the cladding during paint stripping makes the underlying high strength aluminum alloy more prone to corrosion. Thus, the first objective is to develop and evaluate new amorphous Al-based materials and demonstrate their superior corrosion resistance over other cladding materials. The enhanced corrosion resistance is the result of the amorphous state of the cladding as well as transition element and rare earth element additions. The second objective is to evaluate the thermal spray technology to meet the Air Force requirements because the application of new materials to aircrafts must be compatible with the present aircraft maintenance practice. The thermal spray technique is selected because it is highly versatile and can be easily applied at depot or in the field.