Corrosion Resistant Multi-material Claddings on Curved Carbon Steel Surfaces

The cost of corrosion is estimated as 2.5-3.5 percent of gross domestic product of most nations, which corresponds to over $769 billion for the United States in 2025. Corrosion related to infrastructure, utilities, and manufacturing constitutes more than 60 percent of this total cost. Because of its low cost, the most widely used structural material in these applications is carbon steel, which is often formed into complex shapes with curved surfaces. However, the vulnerability of carbon steel to corrosion imposes critical challenges in terms of reduced service life and increased maintenance, repair, and operational costs. The use of stainless steel has been shown to be an effective and lasting method of corrosion prevention in several applications (for example, marine, manufacturing, reinforced concrete, oil/gas, water/wastewater); however, the high cost and limited supply of corrosion resistant alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, and molybdenum, as well as the environmental implications of the manufacturing process, put severe limitations on how much of the carbon steel used in the United States can be replaced with stainless steel. This research will establish fundamental knowledge needed to produce stainless steel cladded carbon steel with curved surface geometries, such as those of reinforcing bars, pipes, vessels, and containers, that can maintain corrosion resistance under service loads. The project outcomes will provide new scientific knowledge to support the development of cladding strategies for numerous materials systems and manufacturing techniques. Functionally graded austenitic and duplex stainless steel claddings will be fabricated using laser-based additive manufacturing techniques from both wire and powder feedstocks. Multi-layer cladding strategies will be explored to achieve compositional gradation and epitaxial growth between the outer cladding surface and substrate – two critical parameters that control mechanical rigidity, corrosion resistance, and overall effectiveness in cladded systems. The research combines cladding process parameterization, metallurgical characterization, and mechanical and corrosion investigations to establish a comprehensive understanding of interrelated processing-structure-property relationships. Mechanical performance of the cladding composite will be evaluated at multiple length scales using hardness, tensile, and bending tests. Electrochemical testing will measure the claddings’ corrosion rates to enable service life prediction. Localized corrosion testing will provide unique scientific contributions to the claddings’ corrosion performance, particularly in the case of manufacturing defects. 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.