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Army Corps of Engineers Tests Fire–Protective Coating at Rock Island Arsenal’s Manufacturing Center
Coating Used on Coal–Fired Heating Plant and World War II–Era Warehouse
By Cynthia Greenwood
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| The M119 Towed Howitzer is designed to provide destructive, suppressive, and protective indirect and direct field artillery fires to support combined arms operations. Photo by the staff at www.army.mil. |
To prosecute vital ground missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and worldwide, the Army depends on Rock Island Arsenal. Rock Island Arsenal is home to 70 organizations that provide products and services to the Army, Navy, and Marines, including the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC).
The JMTC houses an Army factory that produces combat weapons and such equipment as the M198 and M119 Towed Howitzers, artillery systems operated by crews behind the frontlines.
Rock Island Arsenal is located on an island in the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois. This installation is historically and geographically unique. The island itself is three miles long and nearly one mile wide. It sits 162 miles west of Chicago and 180 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa.
The town of Rock Island is one of the Quad cities that converge along the northern Mississippi River, which include Moline, Illinois, and the nearby Iowa towns of Davenport and Bettendorf. Rock Island also encompasses Saukenuk, the now-defunct historic birthplace of Black Hawk, the Sauk Native American tribe leader and war chief who fought with the English against the Americans during the War of 1812.
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Army Maximizes Hawaii’s Natural Resources to Simulate Corrosive Environments
By Ben Craig
The Hawaiian Islands are known for their natural beauty. Active volcanoes, lush tropical forests, and sun-soaked beaches offer unrivaled appeal to North Americans. In addition to its surfing, snorkeling, helicopter tours, and hiking, Hawaiiís beautiful weather attracts millions of visitors every year.
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| The Army’s Pacific Rim-based corrosion testing takes place in a tropical marine microclimate. Pictured is a corrosion test yard on Coconut Island, Hawaii. Photo by Ryan Sugamoto, University of Hawaii. |
But something else about Hawaii’s climate has the Army engaged in a protracted research effort to unlock valuable information to help the military improve readiness and reduce maintenance costs for Pacific-based weapons, equipment and facilities.
Since before World War II, the military has had a major presence in the Pacific. Military forces dedicated to performing Pacific Theatre operations are responsible for a region covering more than half the Earth’s surface. The Pacific Rim region spans more than 100 million square miles. The region includes Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, India, and also encompasses the island nation of Madagascar. In such a vast region, military vehicles and equipment encounter a wide range of climates. Some of these climates are severely corrosive and others have seemingly unpredictable elements.
"Anywhere you have salt water, warm tropical temperatures, and moisture and humidity, maintenance is always going to be a challenge," said Robert Zanowicz, systems engineer with the Army Corrosion Office at the Army Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). In Hawaii, where the Marines, Coast Guard, and other military Services have a noticeable presence, the impact of the climatic conditions on military’s assets is quite substantial. "The material, the weapons, the armaments, and also the infrastructure take a pretty heavy toll in terms of corrosion." But even for Pacific Rim regions where the climate is not tropical, such as Alaska (a sub-arctic climate), South Korea (a temperate climate), and Japan (mostly a coastal temperate climate), corrosion is a significant problem.
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