By Li Yun
BEIJING, May 21 -- "The corrosion prevention and control of equipment is a strategic project for the navy. It is necessary to think from a macro-strategic perspective, and start with the innovative details", said Cao Jingyi, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) of China and research director with the PLA Navy Academy, in an interview when he is going to attend the 13th National People’s Congress in Beijing .
Over last year, Cao Jingyi, together with his team, have made extensive research and offered strategic suggestions at the requirements of the PLA Navy’s strategic transformation and future naval warfare based on artificial intelligence (AI). At the same time, they were also committed to tackle existing practical problems in upgrading corrosion prevention of naval equipment and the application of advanced materials.
In 2019, this team had undertaken more than 110 scientific research tasks and taken the lead in launching a special corrosion control project of the PLA naval equipment.
They reshaped the corrosion prevention and control mode comprehensively from six dimensions, namely the management, technology, materials, standards, assessment tests, and data analyses; completed the comprehensive demonstration of the research on the new-generation materials’ application to vessel structure, laying a solid foundation for the development and building of future naval vessels.
Besides, they have also conducted some specific tasks such as the assessment of naval coating and the standardization of naval equipment specifications.
In recent years, the top concern for Cao Jingyi is that the naval equipment corrosion protection work has not received due attention.
According to Cao Jingyi, "when it comes to the combat effectiveness of vessel equipment, the first issues that come to people’s minds may be the advanced weaponry platform, sensitive detection equipment, and powerful command system. Corrosion prevention is more likely to act as a supporting role."
Most people used to think that the equipment corrosion prevention only means de-rusting and painting. The corrosion is but something related to the equipment appearance or the water leakage in pipes, so the innovation of corrosion prevention technology is nothing more than the development of new paints and new tools.
In fact, the corrosion issue has become the number one killer that triggers equipment failures and accidents, the biggest headache that pulls down combat readiness and maintenance capabilities, and the number one enemy that affects the quick reaction and strategic deployment of equipment. This issue implies a lasting combat on an invisible battlefield.
The impact of corrosion on equipment is systematic and could be seen anywhere and anytime, which in turn determines that the equipment corrosion prevention is correspondingly a systematic project.
Cao Jingyi pointed out that it is urgent to get rid of the traditional low-level, unsystematic and simple coating or painting mode, and get it promoted as a national strategy, being addressed in line with top-level planning and deployment, with the establishment of a complete corrosion prevention mechanism and system from top to bottom.
The team will take every possible means to break through the existing bottleneck of technology, so as to improve the corrosion prevention level fundamentally.
"As scientific and technological service members in the new era, we will start with the nuances scientific research work and live up to the glorious mission entrusted to us by the times", said Cao Jingyi.