ECI News
Described below are brief summaries of
some of the coating projects that ECI has been involved with during
its brief existence.
Corrosion and Wear Resistant Coatings
Current Air Force Phase I SBIR program to develop thin-film coatings
that offer corrosion resistance to lubricant degradation and wear
resistance to high-load contacts for gear and bearing components.
Coating systems being investigated include metal/carbide reinforced
diamondlike carbon and cermets. Emphasis of Air Force program is to
increase compatibility with advanced lubricants designed for high-
temperature service in mechanical assemblies of aircraft.
Hard Coatings with Solid Lubricant Additives
Current Navy Phase II SBIR program to develop hard ceramic matrix
coatings which contain solid lubricant materials. Goal is to reduce
coefficient of friction (COF) and increase fretting, galling
resistance. Emphasis of Navy program is to increase interface
compatibility between aluminum and steel surfaces in contact. Also
investigated toughness and tribological performance of solid lubricant
& metal co-deposited films.
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement(CRADA)
CRADA with AFRL Materials & Manufacturing Directorate to explore
commercialization of new nanocrystalline solid lubricant coatings.
This film family can be tailored to offer a range of microstructures
(e.g., diamondlike carbon and TiC), mechanical (e.g., hardness,
modulus) and tribological (e.g., COF) properties for specific
applications. Functionally graded film microstructures can be
fabricated that offer a unique combination of a toughened core beneath
a low-friction, high hardness surface.
Cermet Coatings
Under a DOE-ETAP program, ECI along with CSM-ACSEL, investigated
combining hard, wear resistant ceramics (e.g., boron carbide, titanium
carbide, titanium diboride, and silicon carbide) with tough metals
(e.g., molybdenum, titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al)) to produce durable
ceramic-metal (cermet) coatings. These cermet coatings exhibit
improved toughness and cracking resistance compared to pure,
relatively brittle ceramics.
Laser Crystallization of Quasicrystalline (QC) Coatings
NSF Phase I program (Phase II pending) to investigate laser and arc-
lamp processing methods to crystallize amorphous sputter-deposited QC
coatings on conventional low-temperature-capable substrates (e.g., Al
alloys, Ti alloys, bearing/gear steels). Al-Cu-Fe-Cr quasicrystalline
coatings exhibit thermal insulation behavior, high hardness, and low
friction, but require a high-temperature (e.g., 700C) anneal to form.
Pulsed laser surface treatment was successful in crystallizing the
amorphous coatings on conventional engineering alloys and reducing the
coefficient of friction by 25-40%.
Solid Solution Metal Coatings
Investigated co-deposited amorphous Al – refractory metal coatings as
candidate replacements for conventional corrosion resistance coatings
(e.g., chrome plate)
Engineered Coatings, Inc.
P.O. Box 4782
Grand Junction, CO 81502-4782
Ph: 970-243-8828
Email: info@eciwear-corrosioncoatings.com
