SBIR Phase I: Low-Cost Thermal Processing of Engineering Materials

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将解决在工程材料表面上原位形成环境保护涂层的问题。 大规模工程系统的大多数故障都是由于金属部件随时间的推移而逐渐发生环境退化造成的。 由于操作和成本限制，及时维修或恢复是不可行的，并且这些系统的过早故障导致生产力损失和材料浪费。 第一阶段将为工程材料开发一种低成本的热处理方法，以解决与腐蚀有关的问题。 材料设计和加工标准将在干燥和潮湿条件下进行检查，以评估高温氧化和氢环境应用的最终涂层。 第一阶段将展示材料兼容性的基本概念和关键工艺参数，这些参数可能导致所需的涂层质量和抗氧化性和腐蚀性。第二阶段将着手优化工艺和材料。 如果成功的话，这一过程将为工程材料表面的修复或修改提供显著的成本降低，从而延长制造系统的有用性或寿命。 该工艺特别适用于无法进行常规表面处理（如电镀、激光熔覆或等离子喷涂）的现场表面。 它在商业上也可用于形成耐用的表面层，因为发生了电极材料与基底的真正合金化。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address in-situ forming of environmentally protective coatings over engineering material surfaces subject to degradation. Most failures of large scale engineering systems result from the progressive environmental degradation of metallic components over time. Due to operational and cost constraints, timely repair or restoration is not feasible, and premature failures of these systems result in loss of productivity and wasted materials. Phase I will develop a low cost thermal process for engineering materials to combat corrosion-related problems. Material designs and processing criteria will be examined in dry and wet conditions in order to evaluate resultant coatings for high-temperature oxidative and hydrogen environment applications. Phase I will demonstrate basic concepts for material compatibility and key process parameters that could lead to desired coating quality and resistance to oxidation and corrosion. Phase II would proceed to process and material optimization. If successful, this process will provide a significant cost reduction for restoration or modification of engineering material surfaces leading to an extension of the usefulness or life of manufactured systems. The process is specifically adaptable to on-site surfaces that are inaccessible to conventional surface treatments, such as plating, laser cladding, or plasma spraying. It would also be commercially useful in forming durable surface layers since a genuine alloying of the electrode material to substrate occurs.