Nanocomposite Cermet Hard Chrome Alternatives

Aerospace and Defense machinery and equipment must survive heavy loads in hostile environments, which creates severe wear conditions causing degradation.  Hard chrome has traditionally been used to both combat wear, and to dimensionally restore worn parts to extend equipment lifetime.  HVOF thermal spray of WC-Co has been qualified as a suitable, higher performance replacement to chrome plating, eliminating the waste and exposure and providing lifecycle cost benefits.    Nanocomposite cermets represent an significant improvement in cost/performance over chrome and carbide coatings, by providing improved wear, lower cost, and having higher strain tolerance.  This presentation will present selected HCAT Joint test protocol test results, and discuss the economics and value proposition of these low density, spallation resistant coatings that can be applied to 30-40 mils and at a fraction of the cost of carbide alternatives.