The CTMA Connector

Welcome to The CTMA Connector, a monthly newsletter designed to provide news and ideas about the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program. The CTMA program is a joint Department of Defense/National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (DoD/NCMS) effort promoting collaborative technology development between industry and the DoD maintenance and repair facilities. This newsletter highlights ongoing projects, serves as a forum for promoting new project ideas, and provides other news of interest to the program. Our goal is to stimulate your participation and solicit your input. Feel free to submit items for the newsletter as well as any suggestions to make it more useful. More information about the program can be found at http://ctma.ncms.org/. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CTMA Connector, send a message to listserv@listserv.ncms.org with "subscribe CTMANewsletter" or "unsubscribe CTMANewsletter" in the subject line.

Hard chrome plating is used extensively through manufacturing operations where applications require hardness, low coefficient of friction (i.e., improves sliding properties), chemical inertness, resistance to wear and corrosion, and an inherent micro crack pattern for the retention of lubricants. Current hard chromium plating processes used by the depots are labor intensive and time consuming. The objective of this proposed project is to introduce new electrodeposited hard chrome plating equipment into manufacturing and repair facilities. This new tooling has many benefits over conventional hard chromium plating equipment, including faster plating rates, improved deposit uniformity, and reduced human exposure to carcinogenic compounds.

The project involves implementation of the new tooling into the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) plating facility. At this location, specific parts will be selected from current production activities. A baseline will be established by monitoring key production parameters (e.g., plating rates, uniformity of deposit, associated production costs). New tooling will then be fabricated and tested and changes in production parameters will be measured and documented. A set of production tooling will be provided to CCAD along with written instruction and training.

Red River Army Depot is the only remaining organic depot that can process rubber for tank treads. Given the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, their workload has increased dramatically whereas their processing equipment remains outdated. This project aims to increase the quality and efficiency of the rubber processing equipment at RRAD by retrofitting the equipment with modern sensors and data collection on machine performance and health. Cincinnati Lamb is developing a product named FREEDOM E-LOG which uses a dedicated network to gather process and machine health data, storing data in a time-stamped database, and presenting processed results to users via a browser interface. Cincinnati will install systems at Red River and an additional industry participant. The systems will be exercised for about two months, gathering data on machine cycle times, down time, machine utilization, and health and diagnostics data such as temperatures, pressures, and so forth. Machine tools with modern controls are capable of gathering very sophisticated data such as torque. Older machines will be interfaced using single board computers with discrete I/O and communications ports.

This project will also benefit through collaboration with the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST will contribute data it has collected in its Manufacturing Engineering lab. The National Science Foundation funded Intelligent Maintenance Systems Center will use their expertise to analyze data from NIST and Caterpillar with the intent of developing prognostics algorithms.

This proposal is aimed at delivering kinetic-spray technologies to depots for improved corrosion resistance of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Interests lie in understanding the commercial infrastructure for kinetic-spray deposition of aluminum, aluminum alloys, zinc, and zinc alloys, as well as novel protection and restoration schemes for materials of construction including aluminum and magnesium. Industry participants include Alcoa, Boeing, Delphi and Ford Motor Company. Additional interaction is anticipated with the Army Research Laboratory and other independent organizations with efforts pertaining to kinetic spray.

A test matrix will be developed, predicated primarily on the principal modes of kinetic-spray metallization known to be operational, and of interest at this point in time. These being:

1.) The “Delphi kinetic spray" processes, which emphasizes use of larger particles (viz. > 50-100 micrometers) in contrast to the earlier embodiments of the methodology (I.e. the Alkhimov, Papyrin, et al process)

2.) The 'Alkhimov-Papyrin' “colds spray” process as practiced by such organizations as Sandia Laboratories, Ktech Corporation, and ASB Industries, which are all potential providers of specimens as participants or sub-contractors.

3.) The "Dymet" process as developed by Kashirin, et al, employing a low-pressure powder feed system and close-coupled gas pre-heater.

The test matrix includes the substrate materials of interest to be protected as determined by the team participants, but is expected to include: plain-carbon steel, cast iron, hardenable alloy steel (e.g. AISI 4340 or similar), Alclad aluminum composite and AZ91D or comparable magnesium. Testing will be developed for coupon specimens, and at least one depot "case study" to be determined by the team. Baseline corrosion protection systems for these substrate materials will also be acquired or developed for comparison of corrosion performance.

Additional participants are sought. Please contact Gary Burkart, NCMS Project Development, at 612 839-4567 or glburkart@charter.net.

New Project Ideas (click on topics to see descriptions), if you are interested, contact the project manager listed.

We appreciate your feedback. Please contact Chuck Ryan with suggestions or input on other topics that would be of interest to you in this newsletter. The CTMA Program is sponsored by the Department of Defense; the content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the government; no official endorsement should be inferred.