Development of nanostructured Al2O3-Ni(Cr) cermet coatings by high pressure cold spray process for high-strength fatigue performance

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MDS Coating Technologies (MCT) is looking for erosion-corrosion resistant surface protective solutions forindustrial gas turbine engines that are both cost effective (equipment cost, cost of ownership, throughput) andallow mechanical properties' control and stress control of the coatings to maximize application performance.MCT's current vacuum arc plasma film technology works on the principle of physical vapor deposition (PVD)methodology to deposit up to 50-micron thick film. The process is prohibitively slow, costing the companyturnaround time to service established customers, and increasingly depressing its business vision to grow in thegeothermal and renewable energy market. Challenging enough, components deployed in these burgeoningapplications require surface protective layers developed on heat sensitive substrates and vacuum-incompatibleshapes. The goal of this NSERC Engage project is to develop and evaluate the high-temperature (>500-deg C)fluid erosion and fatigue properties of a novel nanostructured coating by spraying ceramic-metallicnanocrystalline composite Al2O3-Ni(Cr) particle feedstock developed in Dr. Saha's Nanocomposites andMechanics (NCM) Lab at UNB. Feedstock spray work will be accomplished using a low thermal energytechnology, high pressure cold spray (HPCS), at the National Research Council's thermal spray lab atBoucherville (QC). The coating test and characterization work will be conducted jointly in NCM Lab andMCT's in-house lab in Montreal, QC. The obtained results, assessed against desired objectives, will take thisindustrial collaboration into three distinct and integrative levels: (1) determine the coating technology readinesslevel (TRL), expected to fall between 4 and 6, by implementing results into field trials, (2) amass resources toown an HPCS infrastructure at MCT's PEI Manufacturing site, and (3) embark on a 5-year CRD project tobring the technology to customer service readiness following rigorous research and development curriculum.This Engage project is a first-hand example of how an industrial collaboration can unfold by bringingacademic, company, and government research and innovation strengths under one umbrella.