ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES & SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Public version Legal name of Applicant(s): FN Herstal Manroy Submitted by: FN Herstal Substance: Chromium trioxide (EC 215-607-8, CAS 1333-82-0) Use title: Use-1 Industrial use of chromium trioxide in the hard chromium coating of military small- and medium-caliber firearms barrel bores and auxiliary parts subject to thermal, mechanical and chemical stresses, in order to provide hardness, heat resistance and thermal barrier properties, as well as corrosion resistance, adhesion and low friction properties. Use number: 1 Analysis of Alternatives – Socio-Economic Analysis CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................................... 6 1. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................... 7 2. AIMS AND SCOPE OF THE ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................... 9 2.1. Applicants ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.1. FN Herstal ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.2. Manroy ............................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.2. Scope of the AfA ........................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1. FN Herstal’s hard chromium plating process .................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2. Manroy’s hard chromium plating process ........................................................................................................ 12 2.3. Products concerned...................................................................................................................................... 13 2.4. Supply chain ................................................................................................................................................. 14 2.5. Elements of context ..................................................................................................................................... 14 2.5.1. Market and business model ............................................................................................................................. 14 2.5.2. Focus on the defence market ........................................................................................................................... 15 2.5.3. Importance of the defence industry and FN Herstal for the Belgian territory .................................................. 15 2.5.4. Synthesis: general context of the AfA ............................................................................................................... 16 2.6. General methodology ................................................................................................................................... 16 2.6.1. Scope of the AfA ............................................................................................................................................... 17 2.6.2. Actualisation .................................................................................................................................................... 19 2.6.3. Confidentiality .................................................................................................................................................. 20 2.6.4. Focus: Technology Readiness Levels ................................................................................................................. 21 2.7. Substitution strategy .................................................................................................................................... 21 2.8. Presentation of the “applied for use” and “non-use” scenarios .................................................................. 22 2.8.1. “Applied for use” scenario ................................................................................................................................ 22 2.8.2. “Non-use” scenario .......................................................................................................................................... 22 3. “APPLIED FOR USE” SCENARIO ............................................................................................................... 23 3.1. Elements of context ..................................................................................................................................... 23 3.1.1. Hard chromium plating .................................................................................................................................... 23 3.1.2. Historical background ...................................................................................................................................... 24 3.1.3. Lifespan of firearm barrels ............................................................................................................................... 24 3.1.4. Standards requirements and customer requirements ...................................................................................... 26 3.1.5. Barrel life characteristics and failure criteria ................................................................................................... 28 3.2. Analysis of substance function ..................................................................................................................... 29 3.2.1. Scope of Use-1 .................................................................................................................................................. 30 3.2.2. Functional properties of hard chromium in the context of armament manufacturing .................................... 31 3.2.3. Complementary requirements for the research of alternatives to hard chromium plating ............................. 33 3.3. Parts concerned............................................................................................................................................ 33 3.4. Market and business trends including the use of the substance ................................................................. 36 3.4.1. Use of chromium trioxide ................................................................................................................................. 36 3.5. Remaining risk of the “applied for use” scenario ......................................................................................... 36 3.6. Human health impacts and monetised damage of the “applied for use” scenario ..................................... 37 3.6.1. Number of people exposed ............................................................................................................................... 37 3.6.2. Medical treatment ........................................................................................................................................... 37 3.6.3. Mortality and morbidity ................................................................................................................................... 40 3.6.4. Synthesis of the monetised damage of the “applied for use” scenario ............................................................ 46 3.6.5. Complementary elements of analysis: values taking into account a 4% discount rate .................................... 46 3.7. Environment, man-via-environment impacts and monetised damage of the “applied for use” scenario ... 46 3.7.1. Environment impacts and monetised damage ................................................................................................. 46 3.7.2. Man-via-environment impacts and monetised damage .................................................................................. 47 4. SELECTION OF THE “NON-USE” SCENARIO ............................................................................................. 48 4.1. Efforts made to identify alternatives ............................................................................................................ 48 4.1.1. Data searches and Research & Development ................................................................................................... 48 4.2. Potential alternatives already abandoned ................................................................................................... 49 4.2.1. Thermal spraying with HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) ............................................................................... 49 4.2.2. Thermochemical surface modification ............................................................................................................. 50 4.2.3. Nickel and Nickel alloy coatings ....................................................................................................................... 50 Use-1, public version FN Herstal - Manroy 2 Analysis of Alternatives – Socio-Economic Analysis 4.3. Research and development works in order to reduce the exposure to Cr(VI) for hard chrome plating (FNH1) 52 4.4. Assessment of shortlisted alternatives........................................................................................................