Project Details

Description

The purpose of this action is to provide FY23 funds in the amount of $355,811.90 for a new start Grant. GRANT#13800305. The period of performance will be 18 months.--Ice and salt accretion on aerospace components can have adverse effects on aircraft performance and increase maintenance requirements. The current state of the art technology for engine ice protection systems utilizes either bleed air from the engine or electrical heater elements/mats on surfaces that are susceptible to icing. Both of these options are active mechanisms that burden the propulsion cycle, are costly in terms of weight for plumbing or heating elements, and inherently contain risk due to component reliability. Icephobic coatings have recently been developed that offer passive ice adhesion protection; however, these investigations have been targeted towards components experiencing more benign environments than a military engine inlet. For military inlet applications, adeveloped icephobic coating system must also possess salt phobicity, erosion resistance, and be durable in a vibratory environment in order to be a feasible solution for widespread field deployment. Adding multifunctionality of salt phobicity and erosion resistance to icephobic coatings has not been thoroughly investigated, and would provide a substantial benefit to several NAVY aircraft platforms in terms of weight savings, increased propulsion cycle efficiency, and increased component lifetime. In this work, we propose to investigate next generation coating systems that are erosion resistant, icephobic, and salt-phobic for various aircraft inlet applications. System and performance requirements will first be defined based upon the current base material utilized in the desired aircraft platform. This information will be utilized to develop a methodical test matrix and down-selection criteria for the multifunctional coating system. Coatings will be both procured from industry and synthesized in house at Penn State University, with a focus on both organic matrix composites and inorganic ceramic-based multifunctional coating systems. Each coating system developed or procured will go througha rigorous testing and evaluation matrix, including analytical materials characterization to determine intrinsicmaterial properties, erosion testing, and ice adhesion and build-up analysis. The result of this program will be the development ofa coating system applicable to engine inlet applications that provides adequate erosion, ice adhesion, and salt protection. Approved for Public Release

StatusActive
Effective start/end date6/1/23 → …

Funding

  • U.S. Navy: $450,000.00

Fingerprint

Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.