Coatings for Foil Seals/Foil Bearings for Gas Turbine Engines

Under this STTR Phase I, MiTi? proposes the development of low cost, low coefficient of friction, long life high temperature coatings capable of operating at temperatures up to 1500oF. The coatings are intended for use with compliant foil bearings and foil seals and are innovative because they may be applied using conventional air spray application. This technology is relevant to NASA?s Aerospace propulsion objectives and efforts towards increasing engine efficiencies and reduced pollution and noise as detailed in the UEET and Gap Plans. Specifically, the application of MiTi??s compliant foil seal technology to advanced gas turbine engines will improve engine specific fuel consumptions. Similarly, the use of compliant foil bearings, which can eliminate oil in the engine will have lower powerloss than existing high speed ball bearings, thus enhancing fuel efficiency. MiTi? will use state-of-the-art foil bearing / foil seal analysis tools to establish bearing design parameters for high temperature applications. To ensure consistent performance over the engine life, the lubricated coatings for both air bearings and film riding seals must be able to sustain large numbers of start/stop cycles. Due to the criticality of materials for this environment RPI will further identify the material system for Phase II.