Advanced Erosion Resistant Coatings for the V-22 Shaft Driven Compressor Impeller

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - 8:30 AM

Advanced Erosion Resistant Coatings for the V-22 Shaft Driven Compressor Impeller

M. McFarland, J. Brown, Acree Technologies Incorporated, Concord, CA; D. Alexander, Patuxent Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, MD

The Shaft Driven Compressor (SDC) in the V-22 rotorcraft is a critical component that provides oxygen for the crew and inert gas for the fuel system to prevent explosions. Currently, the impellers in the SDC are experiencing significant levels of erosion due to particle impact from sand and dust and are wearing out much too quickly. Impellers are meeting only about 15% of expected design life. A very hard ceramic multilayer coating has been developed that significantly reduces impeller erosion, extending its life. Tests have shown that the coating has the potential to extend the life of the impeller to ~3,000 hours, exceeding specifications, and significantly reducing maintenance and replacement costs. The coating is thin, so dimensional tolerances are not affected. Because of its hardness, toughness and ease of application, this coating can be used on virtually any component suffering from erosion or wear. Complex shapes like impellers can be coated because the process is non-line-of-sight.

Summary: An advanced erosion resistant coating has been developed to protect the V-22 shaft driven compressor impeller from airborne particle wear. Currently, the impellers in the V-22 SDC are experiencing significant levels of erosion due to particle impact from sand and dust and are not meeting design-life specifications. The coating has the potential to extend the life of the impeller to ~3,000 hours, exceeding specifications, and significantly reducing maintenance and replacement costs.