Solid particle erosion (SPE) damage is a major degradation mechanism for compressor blades of land-based and air gas turbine engines. Not only does erosion reduce the efficiency of the turbines, but it also reduces the service lifetime, thereby reducing the reliability and availability and increasing the overall cost of turbine operation. In desert environments, SPE becomes even more severe and it can lead to the loss of life. To combat erosion thick nitrides (TiN, CrN and ZrN) and carbonitrides (TiSiCN and ZrSiCN) have been deposited using a Plasma Enhanced Magnetron Sputtering (PEMS) technique. The technique combines conventional magnetron sputtering and externally generated plasma from which high current density can be obtained. By using heavy ion bombardment prior to and during deposition to increase the coating adhesion and limit columnar growth, single-layered thick nitrides of TiN, CrN, and ZrN coatings up to 80 micrometers and thick carbonitride coatings of TiSiCN and ZrSiCN up to 30 micrometers have been obtained. Test coupon samples have been subjected to two independent erosion tests. It has been observed that TiSiCN renders the best erosion resistance - nearly 25 times lower than the uncoated stainless steel or Ti-6Al-4V and about 5-10 times lower than all other nitrides. In this paper, we will discuss the deposition technology and the coating microstructure studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD). We will present the nano-hardness results from the nanoindentation tests and erosion resistance from the erosion tests. The technology may be applied to protect turbine engine compressor blades, vanes and rotor blades in advanced aircraft and fluid pump impellers as well as piston rings for heavy-duty diesel engines.
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