According to a Dec 03 DoD report to Congress, corrosion is defined as "the deterioration of a material or its properties due to a reaction of that material with its chemical [and physical] environment." Corrosion is a major issue facing the Department of Defense. GAO estimates DoD corrosion costs at $10B - $20B/year. In addition to the life-cycle cost implications, corrosion also reduces structural integrity, decreases Operational Availability (Ao), and if left untreated, potentially results in materiel and possible system failure.
Corrosion prevention requires early a proactive long term life cycle view. According to OSD estimates, approximately 30% of current DoD corrosion costs could be avoided through investment in sustainment, design, and manufacture and other preventative measures such as paint and avoidance of dissimilar metals.
Corrosion control mitigates the effects of corrosion through the use of sustaining engineering, product improvements, modifications, and design upgrades, as well as system monitoring, inspection, and maintenance practices.
CBM+ related initiatives involving integrated/predictive tools for system design and management using sensor technology for early warning, data collection, and performance confirmation will also add another weapon in the DoD's arsenal in the fight against corrosion.
