Erosion Resistance Coatings for Composite Propulsor/Fan Blades

In the development of high speed surface platforms, such as Littoral combat ship, fiber reinforced composite (FRP) materials offer strength, stiffness, low cost and weight reduction. Most of the fiber reinforced composite materials currently used are stiff and strain-rate limited. Due to poor energy absorbing capability, there is a hurdle in using FRP as a propulsor material. Direction-dependent stiffness in the blades through the use of fiber orientation and flexible propeller blades are used to resolve this stiffness issue in the conventional FRP materials. Despite its effectiveness, it is a very expensive process. In order to manufacture a cost effective composite propulsor, Luna proposes an innovative energy absorbing abrasion resistant coating material on to the low cost FRP propulsor blade. The coating is tough, abrasion resistant and has energy absorbing capability with built-in self-healing feature. This coating system will improve cavitation erosion & abrasion resistance of the propulsor blade and provide a low cost light weight propulsor across the fleet.