Erosion-resistant coatings for gas turbine engine compressor blades

Abstract

The erosion-resistant ZrN and Cr₃C₂ coatings intended for the protection of the titanium and steel blades in a GTE compressor are studied. The erosion resistance of the substrate–coating composition is shown to depend on the coating thickness, the deposition conditions, and the coating texture. Ion-assisted deposition changes the structure–phase state of a coating and substantially increases its erosion resistance. It is found that a nanolayer 2D TiN/CrN coating with an average nanolayer thickness of ~60 nm is the best erosion- corrosion-resistant coating for titanium alloys and that a (NiCrTiAlHf)C + CrC coating formed by ionassisted deposition is the best coating for steels. The testing of alloy VT8 compressor blades in an engine supported high protective properties of the nanolayer TiN/CrN coating.