Ceramic Durable Solid Lubricant Coating for Firearms

Medium caliber aircraft guns like the M197 rotary cannon experience multiple points of friction, needing preventative maintenance cycles to address wear and corrosion. Wet firearm lubricants like CLP and TW25B must be regularly removed and re-applied because they collect sand, dust, and carbon, increasing wear on the part. In contrast, durable solid lubricants (DSLs) can be applied as one-time, permanent coatings. While the goal is to ultimately replace wet lubrication, DSLs are currently used in conjunction with wet lubricants because DSLs still have higher coefficients of friction, wear, poorer heat dissipation, and poorer self-healing properties than wet lubricants. To be a true wet lubrication replacement, a DSL must have equivalent coefficient of friction, wear protection, and corrosion protection in a variety of environments. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) has identified ceramic polymer composites with the necessary combination of excellent lubricity, wear resistance, and corrosion protection. However, these ceramic thin films are thicker than the tolerances of the M197 rotor and breech bolt components. We will address this problem by starting with a commercial ceramic composite solid lubricant and improving its formulation to reduce film thickness while improving its lubricity, wear resistance, and corrosion protection for the underlying steel under extreme environments.