Among many things to be proud of about our state,
Connecticut serves as home to some of the largest maritime defense bases and
manufacturers in the United States. While there are many bases from which U.S.
subs operate, the Naval
Submarine Base at New London has been given the simple and telling moniker,
“Home of the Submarine Force.” We are
proud to also be home to the Coast Guard Academy, and a number of hi-tech
submarine and marine equipment manufacturers supporting the defense of our
nation on the open seas. Being a
Connecticut company ourselves, and being that we manufacture a full range of sealing
and shielding products for maritime applications, we thought it might be a good
time to talk about the perils of
shipboard galvanic action, and how Vanguard shielding products help prevent
galvanic action from occurring.
Galvanic
action, in essence, is a process where combinations of materials essentially
become batteries due to contact between electrochemically dissimilar metals.
When this happens, a conductive path is made by which electrons and ions move
from one metal to the next. During the
process, the material from which the electrons and ions are moving becomes
“sacrificial”—physically losing material until degrading to the point of
failure. In practice, “galvanic action” can
occur between the highly conductive EMI shielding gasket and the metal
enclosure, and usually causes the electronic enclosure (typically made of
aluminum or steel) to corrode and degrade to the point where the structural
integrity, especially from a sealing standpoint, is literally eroded. The process is initiated and accelerated
through the presence of an electrolyte.
In the case of maritime applications, the electrolyte is abundant—salt
water or salt fog in the air. Since maritime
US forces are equipped with some of the most advanced, sensitive electronics
known to man, and given that seawater is abundant, it becomes obvious why
there’s a need to guard against galvanic action in naval electronics systems.
Vanguard’s Ultra-Vanshield and Microbridge dual function EMI shielding gaskets reduce the galvanic potential by reducing the exposure of the
dissimilar metals to the electrolyte.
This, combined with the appropriate selection of conductive material
from our extensive conductive materials options, can virtually eliminate the
potential for galvanic action between the shielding gasket and the enclosure on
which it is installed. Whether extruded
or molded, our gaskets and rubber sealants have been proven seaworthy time and
again aboard seafaring vessels. Whether you make your way on a Nimitz-class carrier, a Los Angeles-class attack sub, or a
munitions supply ship, you can depend on Vanguard to safeguard your electronic
operations systems from the wind, weather, and brine you encounter every
moment. For more information on our customized and standard electronics
protection solutions for naval applications, call us today or email
us at Vanguard Products.
