Wear-Resistant Coatings for Aircraft Structures

An aircraft of today has many moving parts that are subjected to high wear conditions; naturally this puts a high demand on the reliability. The need for new coatings and approaches that improve the wear resistance is clear. Furthermore, a need for smart materials where lifetime indicators can be incorporated is a logical next step in the evolution of coatings. This SBIR proposal suggests an advanced vapor deposition process that can be used to deposit materials combinations that have a high wear resistance as well as a measurable lifetime. The process is suitable for aircraft components with non-line-of-sight areas, such as interior surfaces of pipes or even more complex shapes. The proposal further suggests a combinatorial selection process for the materials combinations that can optimize the compatibility with the substrate material as well as optimizing the wear resistance of the coating. By measuring easily accessible physical properties of the film during maintenance intervals for the aircraft component it will be possible to determine the useful lifetime for the remaining wear resistant film and arrange for replacement prior to failure.