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

Sand ingestion into aircraft turbine engines can cause severe erosion of turbine compressor components. This erosive blade wear will reduce engine efficiency. Repair/replacement of these blades is costly, both in terms of down time and labor and materials cost. Infoscitex proposes to develop and deposit functionally gradient coatings by precisely controlling material nanostructure and component ratios. These coatings will protect metal engine compressor blades against sand particle abrasion, corrosion and thermal fluctuations in extreme conditions. By combining a unique coating morphology design, rapid deposition process and substrate-matched thermal properties, the proposed ERC system will promote excellent adhesion, prevent stress buildup and eliminate high cycle fatigue more efficiently than currently available coatings. In Phase I, we will select material components and prepare uniquely structured coatings on metal turbine blade test specimens. Coated test specimens will be characterized for thermal shock resistance and subjected to sand particle erosion testing to demonstrate Phase I feasibility. In Phase II, we will refine the ERC materials and process, scale-up and coat prototype metal engine compressor blades for extensive testing. Our team includes experts in turbine engine component coating depositions, materials and processing, and sand erosion testing.