Coating Solutions for Air Foil Bearings

The objective of this Phase I SBIR program is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a reliable and durable plasma spray high temperature solid lubricant coating that can be applied to the journal and/or top foil surfaces of the air foil bearing system.  The coating will have an extremely low friction coefficient and low wear.  The coating will sustain loads of up 65 lbs, surface speeds of up to 25 m/sec, high temperature thermal cycling capability up to 1200oF, and will provide a short duration lubrication at room temperature and as low as -40oF for a cold start-up of the control mechanisms. Also, the coating will sustain at least 10,000 cycles of startup and shutdown. The proposed coating technology can be realized using low cost manufacturing techniques. BENEFIT: Successful development of the proposed plasma spray high temperature solid lubricant coating technology would result in an extension of component lifetime and also improve on startup and shutdown efficiencies due to the low coefficient of friction.  Once developed, the technology would first be implemented onto air foil bearing components of our industrial partner, Honeywell Aerospace.  The developed coating technology can also be applied to other industries to replace liquid lubricants to improve lifetimes and efficiencies.