{"id":68988,"date":"2025-11-04T10:14:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/?p=68988"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:52:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:52:39","slug":"corrdesa-reducing-rust-in-critical-aircraft-components","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/corrdesa-reducing-rust-in-critical-aircraft-components\/","title":{"rendered":"Corrdesa – Reducing rust in critical aircraft components"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Minimizing the impact of corrosion with Simulation<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Rust<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Corrosion is a common problem for many different types of metal products. You\u2019re most likely to have experienced it in the form of rust in an older motor vehicle. It\u2019s a nuisance that at best can be unsightly and affect the car\u2019s value, and at worst reduces structural integrity and compromises safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what about corrosion in aircraft? Most planes are designed to operate for several decades \u2013 much longer than the average car \u2013 and are often subject to more of the moisture and climate conditions that accelerate corrosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With air safety so critical, manufacturers and operators can\u2019t afford to take any risks. Planes must be regularly inspected, and corrective action must be taken to effectively deal with any corrosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is neither straightforward nor cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost of corrosion<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"F-35<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The United States Air Force spends over $20 billion annually on corrosion. This is approximately 20% of its total maintenance costs and accounts for 24 million hours of downtime. Some military aircraft, such as the B-52 Stratofortress, are still in use after 70 years. This makes it even more important to ensure that modern planes are built to withstand corrosion as much as possible throughout their expected lifespan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corrosion-resistant design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Corrdesa<\/a> was established in 2011 to use simulation to predict corrosion and help manufacturers make better decisions in terms of material selection and design optimization. CEO Dr Alan Rose is a recognized expert in computational engineering with over 30 years of experience across aerospace and defense, chemical and process and nuclear industries. He has led the development of Corrosion Djinn<\/a>\u00ae, Corrdesa\u2019s cutting-edge SaaS (software as a service) platform for managing electrochemical data and quantifying corrosion risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Rose and his team collaborated with Simcenter Engineering Services<\/a> to integrate Teamcenter <\/a>and Simcenter STAR-CCM+<\/a> software with Corrosion Djinn\u00ae to apply the data to 3D models of aircraft for the US Air Force. \u201cSimcenter STAR-CCM+ has several built-in models, ideal for corrosion modeling, which saved us a significant amount of time,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd as the US Air Force was already using Teamcenter, it made it easy to seamlessly integrate with their existing systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Detail<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detailed corrosion analysis in minutes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Working alongside US Air Force aerospace experts, Corrdesa and Simcenter Engineering Services defined templates that sped up the modeling of new designs by automating geometry and computational mesh creation and setting boundary conditions with Corrosion Djinn\u00ae data. The workflow between Simcenter STAR-CCM+, Teamcenter and Corrosion Djinn\u00ae allowed non-CFD experts at the US Air Force to create 3D models with corrosion analysis in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gave a prediction of the amount of corrosion with different types of materials and different barrier coatings. All within the time it takes to make a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of millions of dollars saved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring that new aircraft designs are as corrosion-resistant as possible is essential for keeping future costs down for the US Air Force. Combined with cutting down testing through accurate corrosion simulation, this is expected to save them hundreds of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just one design issue of the F-22 Raptor cost $228 million to solve. The new toolset would have picked this up much earlier in the design phase and avoided most of the costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Corrdesa\u2019s collaboration with Simcenter Engineering Services isn\u2019t only about protecting future aircraft from corrosion. The same solution is being used to analyze repair options for existing aircraft, including the U-2 and C-17. This will allow the US Air Force to keep these in operation for longer and reduce the overall maintenance costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the air to the ground and beyond<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr Rose is keen to extend the service to other branches of the US military and beyond. \u201cWe\u2019re in discussions with automotive OEMs that are going through digital transformation,\u201d he says. \u201cAlthough many already have virtual models for analyzing stress, aerodynamics, heating and batteries, they don\u2019t have the corrosion modeling capabilities that we provide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find out more, read our detailed case study<\/a> and review Corrdesa\u2019s Computational Corrosion Analysis presentation<\/a>. Corrdesa also regularly attend Realize Live<\/a> and you can read their thoughts on the most recent conference here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"F-35<\/a><\/figure>
\n

Click here for the full case study<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\"Read<\/a>