Corrosion prevention for military weapons, equipment

Defense spending reaches into the trillions of dollars globally. Unfortunately, goods purchased are a major target for corrosion due to the prevalence of metal components and the harsh environments they encounter, which threaten to devalue the huge investment made in military assets. Preservation materials can be time-consuming to apply and remove, potentially delaying arms deployment. It’s important for the defense industry to be familiar with Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor Technology (VpCI) as a means of effective, efficient protection at the munitions plant, in transit, or on base.

Preservation starts at the munitions plant

Corrosion protection should start before weapons and ammunition ever leave the manufacturing site, as the journey from maker to end user presents many corrosion risks. During a shipboard trip across oceans, munitions may experience different climates and temperature swings which allow condensation to form on metal surfaces, potentially leading to corrosion. This can be damaging and dangerous. The deterioration of metal casings on ammunition could heighten the risk of explosion, making them unusable. Weapons arriving on base with triggers or barrels corroded will, at best, need to be cleaned and restored before use. Furthermore, the onus could fall back on the manufacturer for delivering compromised goods, demanding they correct the problem. Because of these concerns, weapons often arrive well-greased in Cosmoline or similar rust preventatives, prompting the familiar degreasing process. However, this isn’t the only preservation method.

VpCI packaging materials provide clean, dry, and efficient means of protection. Cortec’s CorShield VpCI-146 paper can be used to wrap new weapons or ammunition. This paper is coated with VpCIs that diffuse into the packaging space and have an affinity to metal. They adsorb onto metal surfaces, forming their own protective molecular layer inhibiting the normal corrosion reaction in harsh elements. VpCI technology also comes in the form of plastic bags, such as CorShield VpCI-220E, which act as a physical barrier against moisture while conditioning the interior of the bag with corrosion inhibiting vapors. Depending on the duration and expected severity of the environment, VpCI paper and film can be used alone or in conjunction with each other and other sources of VpCI, such as small pouches containing VpCI alone or combining it with desiccant. While desiccant can be used to absorb moisture in a package, VpCI materials add an extra line of defense by fighting corrosion in the presence of moisture if condensation does occur and/or the desiccant becomes spent. Besides providing corrosion protection, one of the best advantages of these products is dry protection, eliminating the extra cleaning/degreasing required to remove a rust preventative. This advantage also shows itself in many other areas of military preservation beyond initial original equipment manufacturer (OEM) shipment.

Preparing for duty on base

Once weapons or equipment arrive on base, they enter another stage of preservation if not immediately needed for active duty. Obviously, this state of peace and idle weaponry is preferable for the welfare of society; however, it requires special care to keep munitions ready for action whether they’re new or left over from a recent military event. Rust and preservation materials that are difficult to remove stand as obstacles to immediate readiness and should be avoided if at all possible on items ranging from ammunition and weapons to tanks and landing craft to engines and ground equipment.

In some cases, the same procedure recommended above for shipping can be used for storage with cost savings. This happened in Southeast Asia more than two decades ago when one army had trouble with corrosion deterioration on charge bags and cartridge cases in a tropical environment, leading to the risk of spontaneous explosion. By wrapping 105mm ammunition in VpCI-146 paper with an absorbent material, they solved the corrosion problem and estimated a cost savings of approximately $900,000 annually.

In South Asia, the aviation wing of one country’s navy needed a better way to preserve aircraft engines. Their previous procedure was expensive in terms of time and money, and they used materials such as silica gel, rust preventative oil, and even gasoline to prevent corrosion. Most of the materials had to be reapplied every three months, and the silica had to be reactivated by heating. This reapplication process took one and a half days. In spite of these tremendous efforts, they still had corrosion problems. When they began using an integrated solution that included a water-based dry film rust preventative, VpCI-132 foam, VpCI-146 paper, and VpCI-126 film, they experienced significant cost savings of 60% to 70%. The method also saved time (application could be done in two hours and removal in 15 minutes) and eliminated the use of a very hazardous material (i.e., gasoline).

In Southeastern Europe, one nation’s military adopted the use of VpCI-126 film two decades ago and has been following very specific procedures to preserve weaponry long-term. Although the use of a wet-film rust preventative isn’t necessarily needed in conjunction with VpCI, this army chose to apply VpCI-325, a water-displacing protective oil, to all bare metal parts before sealing them in VpCI-126 bags and packing the firearms in boxes.

Larger equipment such as CVRs, tanks, landing craft, ground equipment, and even entire vehicles stored on base can be preserved by shrink-wrapping them in an outdoor grade VCI film. MilCorr VpCI Shrink Film is especially good for this and has shown good durability in hurricane events. While a fuel additive and some temporary coatings in strategic places may be sometimes recommended for deep storage, the main task is as simple as driving the vehicle right onto the MilCorr and shrink-wrapping it into place. When the equipment is needed again, the plastic film can be cut away and any last minute tune-ups performed. This is especially important for vehicles stored near the ocean, where they’re at risk for a constant barrage of sea-salt-laden air that could quickly rust an unprotected vehicle body.

Some equipment, however, cannot be wrapped in MilCorr VpCI Shrink Film because it’s needed periodically for onsite work, such as repairing airfields. In these cases, it makes more sense to apply a clear water-based coating such as EcoShield VpCI-386 or VpCI-391 right over the painted or bare metal surfaces of the heavy equipment as an extra layer of protection from the harsh elements.

An important piece to the preservation puzzle

Military assets are expensive and critical, but their use is often unpredictable and storage environments are often harsh and uncontrollable. VpCIs are an important piece to a preservation puzzle that keeps vehicles and weaponry in good condition ready for deployment on short notice. They’re well-suited to on-base protection and prove useful to manufacturers who need to ward off damaging corrosion before and after equipment service life in a variety of conditions.

About the author: Julie Holmquist is a marketing content writer for the Cortec Corp.

Cortec Corp. https://www.cortecvci.com