Multifunctional Erosion Resistant Coatings with Controlled Nanostructure for Turbine Engine Compressor Components

Sand ingestion into aircraft engines, including diesel platforms for UAVs, can cause severe erosion of components. This erosive wear reduces engine efficiency and thrust. Repair/replacement of these components is costly, both in terms of mission readiness, and labor and materials cost. Infoscitex has developed a combination functionally graded, multilayer coating with precisely controlled material nanostructure and composition ratios. This coating protects metal engine components against sand-particle abrasion, corrosion, and thermal fluctuations in extreme conditions. By combining a unique coating morphology, rapid deposition process, and substrate-matched thermal properties, the ERC system promotes excellent adhesion, prevents stress buildup, and eliminates high-cycle fatigue more efficiently than currently available coatings. In Phase I, we prepared uniquely structured coatings on metal test specimens. Erosion testing revealed superior high-temperature resistance to erosion by abrasive particles, demonstrating the feasibility of the approach. In Phase II, we will refine the coating morphology and process conditions, coat prototype components for more-extensive testing, and develop a UV-luminescent underlayer to facilitate non-intrusive inspection. Our team includes experts in coating deposition, materials and processing, and sand erosion testing.