SBIR Phase I: High-performance, chloride-proof, ferritic steel for cold spray coating of steel rebar

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是开发一种新型钢筋并将其商业化，这种钢筋耐腐蚀，但性能优于现有钢筋，并且具有成本竞争力。该项目的先进钢筋将实现更安全、更持久的混凝土基础设施，需要更少的维修和更换。这项技术将延长混凝土结构的使用寿命，从而减少温室气体排放，同时还支持许多清洁能源技术，如海上风能、水电和核能，所有这些技术都需要长期使用的钢筋混凝土。这个SBIR第一阶段项目旨在开发一种新型的定制不锈钢成分，作为低成本碳钢基础设施的保护性外层。将解决几个技术挑战，包括将成分调整为在高氯环境中具有高度耐腐蚀性，保持铁素体组织和与碳钢衬底的机械兼容性，以及开发冷喷涂兼容的加工技术。该项目有望改变钢铁和混凝土基础设施的防腐模式，使一种新的涂层成分和方法能够集成到现有的钢厂中。如果成功，这项技术将使低成本的钢铁部件能够以不到不锈钢部件一半的价格达到不锈钢部件的使用寿命，将关键基础设施的使用寿命延长三倍，并避免大规模的公共成本和碳排放。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop and commercialize a new type of steel rebar which resists corrosion but outperforms existing rebar and is cost competitive. The advanced steel rebar from this project will enable safer and longer lasting concrete infrastructure, requiring fewer repairs and replacements. This technology will provide increases in the lifetimes of concrete structures thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting a number of clean energy technologies, such as offshore wind, hydroelectric, and nuclear power, all of which require long-lasting reinforced concrete. This SBIR Phase I project aims to develop a novel custom composition of stainless steel to serve as a protective outer cladding for low-cost carbon steel infrastructure. Several technical challenges will be addressed including tailoring of the composition to be highly corrosion resistant in high chloride environments, maintaining a ferritic structure and mechanical compatibility with a carbon steel substrate, and developing a cold-spray compatible processing technique. This project promises to shift the paradigm in corrosion resistance of steel and concrete infrastructure, enabling a novel coating composition and method to integrate into existing steel mills. If successful, this technology will enable low-cost steel components to reach the lifetimes of stainless steel components at less than half the price, extending lifetimes of key infrastructure as much as 3-fold and avoiding massive public costs and carbon emissions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.