Advanced tribological coating solutions for next generation mechanical systems in extreme environments

耐用和高性能能源发电技术的进步在很大程度上取决于能够承受极端环境和接触条件的材料的开发。同样，在航空航天工程领域，材料的预期运行条件正变得越来越具有挑战性(例如，更高的温度、更高的速度和接触压力)。能够在这些条件下高效运行的材料将有助于克服许多航空航天挑战，从提高飞机的耐用性和部件的过早故障到开发新型燃气轮机发动机。在工业经验和申请人之前进行的研究的基础上，这里提出的计划将对极端环境中应用的耐磨涂层进行批判性评估。这些涂层将针对特定的温度范围进行量身定做，并将使用先进的现场摩擦学技术进行相应的评估，以阐明导致摩擦学性能改善的界面过程。在整个计划中获得的实验结果和分析将用于校准接触力学模型，并为极端条件下的耐磨系统开发新的设计图，描述不同的机制作为操作条件的函数。这项工作对航空航天和能源发电界的主要好处将是展示这些润滑策略的概念证明，以及在极端条件下识别界面过程。在这里进行的工作将对公司制造下一代摩擦学系统的能力以及涂层选择过程产生直接影响。

The advancement of durable and high-performance energy generation technologies depends heavily on the development of materials that can withstand extreme environmental and contact conditions. Similarly, in the field of aerospace engineering, the conditions in which materials are expected to operate are becoming increasingly more challenging (e.g. higher temperature, increased velocities and contact pressures). Materials capable of operating efficiently under these conditions will help overcome many of the aerospace challenges ranging from improving durability of the aircraft and premature failure of the components to developing novel gas turbine engines. Building up on the industrial experience and previous research performed by the applicant, the program proposed here will critically evaluate wear resistant coatings for applications in extreme environments. The coatings will be tailored for specific temperature ranges and will be evaluated accordingly using advance in situ tribological techniques in order to elucidate the interfacial processes leading to the improved tribological behavior. The experimental results and analysis obtained throughout this program will be used to calibrate contact mechanics models and develop new design maps for wear resistant systems in extreme conditions, describing different mechanisms as a function of operating conditions. The major benefits of this work to the aerospace and energy generation community will be demonstrating proof of concept for these lubrication strategies as well as the identification of interfacial processes in extreme conditions. The work performed here will have a direct impact on company's ability to manufacture next generation tribological systems as well as on their coating selection process.