SUSCOAT

The objective of this project is to substitute selected scarce (Co and Cd) and health- and environment-threatening coatings in the electricity generation and aerospace industries. These objectives will be met through the development of a new, innovative suite of PVD coatings with properties that can be tailored to suit many different applications. The price and availability of cobalt is volatile, causing uncertainty for manufacturers of power plant. Co-based overlays are used to reduce supersonic water droplet erosion (SWDE) of turbine blades and sliding wear in valves. Cd is a heavy metal toxin posing serious health issues. It is banned from most applications except those for which there is no alternative. This project aims to develop effective alternatives. The suite of new coatings will provide tailored properties of barrier corrosion resistance and/or sacrificial protection with lubricity (i.e. Cd replacement). The same coating concept will be tailored to provide SWDE resistance by incorporating additional functional nanocomposite layers. Processes will also be developed for the stripping of these coatings to promote recycling/reuse. Metrology requirements will be addressed through development of the UK’s first test rig to evaluate SWDE. Many projects have previously been undertaken with the aim to replace electroplated Cd. This project will succeed where others have not because the design of the new coatings benefits from the novel combination of leading edge results, recently completed research not previously available.