Aerospace Coatings
Enhance performance, decrease operation costs and push application limits
Ionbond coatings for aerospace components
IHI Ionbond’s PVD, CVD and PACVD coatings are routinely applied on a variety of components in the aerospace industry. Their unique properties enhance performance, decrease operation costs, push application limits and even enable applications that would otherwise be impossible. Ionbond takes pride in having our coatings fly in various air- and spacecraft. Beyond the performance enhancement, Ionbond coatings also contribute to a cleaner environment by being an alternative to the environmentally hazardous electroplating process that is widely used in the aerospace industry.
Get in touch
Download Aerospace Factsheet
Aerospace coating services
Don’t hesistate to contact our manager anytime
Aerospace coating applications
Ionbond Tribobond™ coatings are widely used within the Aerospace sector to reduce abrasion, galling and fretting wear. Typical parts include components of landing gear, flight controls, actuators along with various bearings and fasteners. In addition, Ionbond coatings are used to for various applications in jet engines – from CVD aluminizing for turbine components to PVD anti-erosion coatings on compressor airfoils. Some specialty coatings are successfully used for space applications as well. The use of such coatings reduces operating costs, increases maintenance intervals with virtually no environmental impact.
Airframe
Coatings for airframe components
Common structural materials in the aerospace industry (titanium, aluminum alloys, stainless steels and Inconel) are prone to galling, which can lead to adverse surface effects in contact areas. The related phenomenon of fretting wear can cause underperformance or even failure of critical components. IHI Ionbond offers a comprehensive range of Tribobond™ coatings for effective protection against fretting, galling and other aircraft-specific mechanical surface damages.
Typical components include:
- Engine mounts
- Spherical bearings
- Rod ends
- Fasteners
- Actuator pistons/rods
Engine
Coatings for jet engine components
Jet engines are some of the most sophisticated mechanical systems created by humankind, needing to meet strict reliability demands in severe operating conditions that include high temperatures, abrasion, hot corrosion and oxidation. Ever-increasing fuel efficiency requirements further challenge material and surface treatment selections for components of the engine.
Compressor and fan sections often require protection against hard particle erosion of airfoils. New turbofan engines with larger fans are even more susceptive to erosion damage, which ultimately leads to shorter MRO intervals. IHI Ionbond offers a range of TiN and TiAlN coatings that provide effective protection against erosion.
Combustor and turbine sections operate at extremely high temperatures, requiring specialty coatings. For this purpose, IHI Ionbond developed a line of aluminum-based diffusion coatings applied by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. These coatings provide excellent protection against oxidation and hot corrosion on components such as airfoils, abradable seals and others. Unlike other aluminizing methods, CVD is environmentally friendly and does not utilize any powder media. In addition, the process allows for modification of classic aluminides with doping elements to further improve coating performance.
Tribobond™ physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings are applied as a standard to components of main engine bearings. These coatings improve wear performance and prevent galling, fretting and surface fatigue.
Space
Coatings For Space Applications
IHI Ionbond coatings have numerous applications in the space industry, both in satellites and launch vehicles. In many cases, these coatings have been specially developed or customized to meet unique functionality requirements.
For instance, Ionbond Tribobond™ coatings are used in elements of cryogenic fuel delivery systems to prevent galling and provide other functional improvements. Specialty Ionbond™ CVD diffusion barrier coatings are used to enable operation of plasma thrusters to control space probes and satellites. Ionbond engineers also developed coatings for extremely high-temperature applications, e.g. in rocket nozzles.
Hard Chrome Replacement
Coatings for Hard Chrome Replacement
Implementation of the REACH and RoHS initiatives to phase out the use of certain toxic materials forces aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers to look for more environmentally friendly alternatives to chrome and cadmium electroplating. Extensive programs to eliminate galvanic coatings have been initiated by every aircraft manufacturer, impacting the entire supply chain. IHI Ionbond offers coatings that are viable alternatives to their galvanic counterparts and which are already used in many applications. For instance, in aircraft actuation and control systems and various fasteners. For each new application, Ionbond engineers carefully examine the functionality of the galvanic coating and then recommend a suitable replacement from Ionbond’s portfolio.
More about Hard chrome replacement
Diffusion coatings
Ionbond™ CVA diffusion coatings for jet engine turbine sections
Ionbond offers a special class of coatings to provide protection against high-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion in the hot section of jet engine turbines. These coatings are based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diffusion aluminizing, also known as CVA, and are offered by Ionbond under the brand name Ionbond™CVD 66.
Unlike pack aluminizing, CVA coatings can be easily deposited onto internal surfaces, such as the cooling channels of blades, vanes or other turbine components. In addition, the CVA process opens up virtually unlimited possibilities to dope the coatings with elements such as Hf, Cr and Si to further increase their performance.
Can we help you?
Dr. Val Lieberman, Global Segment Manager Industrial Components, will be glad to support you.
