Corrosion and wear resistant coating for rotary engine seals and surfaces

Many Unmanned Aircraft Systems use rotary engines. When rotary engines are operated in austere conditions, such as marine and desert environments, they often suffer from limitations to durability and efficiency. The high humidity and salt concentrations in marine environments can accelerate corrosion damage, and sand and dust ingestion, encountered along coasts and in deserts, can damage critical surfaces such as apex seals, rotors, and housing walls. In this Phase I SBIR project, TDA Research will develop a coating designed to reduce corrosion damage and improve durability of rotary engine seals and other components. The coating will leverage TDAís previous work on ceramic coatings for high temperature corrosion protection, sacrificial coatings for galvanic protection, and tribocoatings. In the Phase I project, TDA will apply the coating to test specimens and characterize their wear properties and protection against environmental, pitting, and galvanic corrosion. In the Phase I Option, TDA will further improve our coating and apply the coating to rotary engine components for validation testing.