Erosion of Bare and Coated Polymer Matrix Composites by Solid Particle Impingement

An investigation was conducted to examine the erosion behavior of uncoated and coated polymer matrix composite (PMC) specimens subjected to solid particle impingement using air jets. Tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) was the primary topcoat constituent. Prior to topcoating, bondcoats were applied to the PMC substrates to improve coating adhesion. All erosion tests were conducted with Arizona road-dust (ARD), impinging at angles of 20° and 90° on both uncoated and two-layer coated PMCs at an airflow velocity of 229 m/s and at a temperature of 366 K. The results indicate that the two-layered (WC-Co topcoat and metal bondcoat) coatings on PMCs remarkably reduced the erosion volume loss by a factor of approximately 10. The tenfold increase in erosion resistance will contribute to longer PMC component lives, reduced erosion-related breakdowns, decreased maintenance costs, and increased PMC reliability. Eventually, the coatings could lead to overall economic savings.