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In Crane, Indiana, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are assisting in a critical battle against time and nature. Within the vast expanses of Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA), lie thousands of Earth Covered Magazines (ECMs) — crucial semi-buried bunkers that safeguard the nation's munitions and explosives. These facilities, vital to the Department of Defense, face threats of mold and corrosion.
Mold can penetrate packaging and affect the munitions and rounds. If a Soldier attempts to use one of these corroded rounds, they are at risk of misfires, malfunctions or jams. Because of this, if munition shipments arrive molded, they must be discard, potentially leaving the Warfighter in need of vital resources.
"This is a whole different way to look at supporting the Warfighter," said Drew Miller, an engineering technician with the ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). "If we don't get ahead of this, it could affect the Warfighter — it could affect the mission."
With the threat of mold and corrosion creeping in, researchers from ERDC-CERL are offering their expertise to provide the care and maintenance needed for these shelters.
"It's a snowball effect, so if you don't get ahead of it now, it's going to snowball worse and worse." Miller said. "In the end, it affects the rounds that we can use for our Soldiers, for the actual Warfighter."
Miller, as lead technician, and the rest of the team at CERL's Paint Technology Center of Expertise (PTCx), alongside partners from the Joint Munitions Command (JMC) and the USDA Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), are adopting a multifaceted approach to combat these challenges.
"We're focusing primarily on mold but also tackling all forms of corrosion. It’s not just about active mold growth but about preventing any potential material degradation from biofilms and traditional rust," he said.
The ECMs, constructed mainly from the 1940s to the 1960s, have suffered from delayed maintenance due to funding constraints and present not only a health hazard, but also a risk to the integrity of vital defense materials.
When mold concerns were introduced, Rebekah Wilson, a CERL chemist and the ERDC lead principal investigator on the effort, alongside JMC, offered to collaborate with the Army Corrosion Control and Protection Executive Office.
"This effort was only made possible through the Army Corrosion Control and Protection Executive Office,” Wilson said. “During our quarterly meetings, where JMC and myself serve as leads in our respective areas, JMC highlighted the concern with mold in facilities, which has impacted readiness of munitions. “
“Conversations developed into field efforts and eventually the USDA FPL joined into the effort,” she added. “It really highlights the ability of teams from diverse missions coming together with their unique subject-matter expertise to tackle a universal problem through a holistic approach.“
ERDC, JMC and the USDA FPL are tackling the problem through a variety of methods to find and test effective, long-term solutions.
"We're doing things like taking temperature, humidity data, taking photos and checking sensors," Miller said. "We've got sensors deployed to log those environmental conditions inside versus outside of the ECMs. We're looking at concrete moisture levels and wood moisture levels on any of the wood packaging, and we are testing remediation methods, so we're actually cleaning some of the mold with different cleaning products, trying to find something that's more effective."
The mission at CAAA is more than a professional obligation for Miller. As an Army Veteran, work like this reconnects him to his duty of doing what he can to benefit the Warfighter.
"This supports the boots on the ground — that's been a passion of mine," Miller said. "If I can help benefit the Warfighter or protect the Warfighter in any fashion, that's what I want to do."
The long-term goal for this study is to increase readiness of munitions through mitigating mold and corrosion through new technology and providing guidance for more robust policy and procedures.
PTCx is also fostering a effort with CERL’s BUILDER Sustainment Management Systems, a web-based software application that helps civil engineers, technicians and managers decide how to best maintain building infrastructure. Through this effort, PTCx will see how the software can work with ECM- related data to provide critical information to leadership making decisions.
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2024 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 475534 |
| Location: | CRANE, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ERDC researchers combat corrosion and mold at Crane Army Ammunition Activity, by Sophia Espinosa, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
