This SERDP and ESTCP webinar focuses on DoD-funded research efforts to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous metals in weapons applications. Specifically, investigators will discuss the process of waterjet-based cavitation and its application to weapons to remove refractory metals, and innovative designs of powders developed to support cold spray applications for coating deposition.

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Webinar #118 (09/10/2020)

Reducing Hazardous Materials in Weapons Systems: Advances in Waterjet Applications and Cold Spray Technologies

Mr. Frank Campo and Mr. Mark Miller, U.S. Army Benet Laboratories 
Mr. Aaron Nardi, U.S. Army Research Laboratories

September 10, 2020

12:00 PM ET (9:00 AM PT)

Presentation Slides

Abstracts

“Multipurpose 3D Waterjet for Machining and Stripping Coatings on Weapon Systems” by Mr. Frank Campo and Mr. Mark Miller ( ESTCP Project Webpage)

This ESTCP project focuses on the development of an innovative process that can enable DoD to reduce or eliminate hazardous materials in its production and maintenance processes, and to ensure that alternative technologies, materials and processes are adequately vetted from an environmental perspective. The presentation will demonstrate the use of the clean and environmentally friendly waterjet-based cavitation and waterjet garnet stripping process for the removal of refractory metals (including chromium) from gun barrels. The process involves successfully removing electrodeposited chromium and tantalum that have been cold sprayed onto the inside of a large caliber gun barrel. The waterjet machining process is well suited for large caliber gun barrels where water can be contained within the barrel. In addition, this process can be transferred to all caliber weapons and can also be used to precession rifle gun barrels. The expected benefits to the warfighter applied to all caliber weapons would be significant, as this modern process will quickly remove coatings without any reverse electroplating and with no environmental hazard exposure to the worker. The process avoids the environmental costs and time associated with reverse electroplating, as well as the cleanup of contaminated chrome solutions and chlorinated cutting oils associated with most machining operations. The presentation will also provide a chronological background of prior efforts to date funded by ESTCP’s Weapons Systems and Platform program area.

“Cold Spray Deposition of Hard Coatings for Repair and Surface Enhancement” by Mr. Aaron Nardi ( ESTCP Project Webpage)

Managers of critical infrastructure benefit from the situational awareness provided by remote monitoring. This information leads to improved equipment performance and reduced unplanned downtime. However, recent attacks on U.S. and international power grids and building systems highlight the need for improved security on the industrial internet of things. Relatively few manufacturers provide the majority of control systems, exacerbating the impact of distributed cyberattacks. Legacy systems often run outdated, unsupported operating systems and will never receive security patches. Firewalls and software-based security are vulnerable to compromise by hackers. 

Data diodes are security appliances that enable a physically-enforced, one-way information stream about the state of this equipment. These devices physically isolating the equipment from lower-security networks. Data diodes are used today to protect the most critical of assets but at an expense often exceeding $100,000 per connection. 

Fend’s hardware is a low-cost device that provides the one-way data transfers of data diodes while removing the need for extensive on-site configuration. On-board processors enable Fend’s hardware to communicate with protected equipment and transmit this information to an on-site network or cloud service. Fend’s diode would serve the unmet needs of critical infrastructure managers across DoD by quickly enabling secure access to equipment data. This presentation will present the results of an ESTCP-funded project designed to demonstrate the hardware’s interoperability with various equipment types, ease of installation and cost performance.

Speaker Biographies

Mr. Frank Campo is a multi-disciplined electronics engineer at the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Armaments Center, Benet Laboratories, located at the Watervliet Arsenal in New York. Mr. Campo’s career has focused on the development of innovative solutions to modernize and provide environmentally-sound technologies to the DoD manufacturing base. He is experienced with developing and transitioning process engineering technology for refractory metal coatings and coating deposition processes to improve gun-barrel and weapon systems performance and service life to the warfighter. While working at Benet Laboratoriess, Mr. Campo has co-authored over 10 journal, CCDC and inter-governmental technical papers on the topic of refractory metal coatings or coating deposition processes. He is the recipient of the 2019 CCDC Science and Technology award for waterjet-modernizing manufacturing weapon systems processes. Mr. Campo has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, and a master’s degree in business administration and finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Mr. Mark Miller is a project and program manager at the United States Army CCDC Armaments Center, Benet Laboratories. Mr. Miller’s career has

focused on developing environmentally-sound refractory metal coatings and coating deposition processes to improve gun-barrel and weapon systems performance and life. While working at Benet Laboratories, he has co-authored over 30 journal, CCDC and inter-governmental technical papers on the topic of refractory metal coatings or coating deposition processes. He received the SERDP Weapons Systems and Platforms Project of the Year Award for his research on chromium elimination and cannon life extension, and the Army Research and Development Achievement Award for his work on explosive bonding and machining technologies. Mr. Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, a master’s degree in materials engineering, and a master’s degree of business administration and finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Mr. Aaron Nardi is the team lead for the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratories (ARL) Cold Spray Center and affiliated laboratories where he leads all aspects of material processing, equipment design and process parameter development for projects related to cold spray. In this role, he is also responsible for the development of new research opportunities and collaborations with other DoD sites as well as with DoD suppliers and companies in the United States industrial base. Mr. Nardi has over 40 patents related to cold spray, advanced manufacturing processes, erosion protection, wear resistant coatings development and applications, coating structures for fatigue mitigation, and components. He has presented his work at national and international conferences and co-authored publications on cold spray, thermal spray, additive manufacturing, crack growth and design optimization. Mr. Nardi has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and materials sciences from the University of Connecticut, and a master’s degree in mechanical metallurgy from Rennslear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.