LCAC Lift Fan
Blade Coating
Problem: The U.S. Navy spends over $1M/year repairing
and replacing the lift fan blades on the LCAC Landing Craft. Sand and water quickly erode
the aluminum blades.
Solution: The Navy has identified Laser Induced Surface
Improvement (LISI) as a potential way of annealing robust materials on complex substrates.
MTTC and ST2 will coat several lift fan blades and observe their performances on fleet
LCACs. |
 |
Benefits
Estimated Navy
Cost Avoidance:
Minimum annual:
$1,400 K
Minimum 15 Year:
$21,000 K
Fleet Impact: A
tungsten-carbide coating on the lift fan blades should almost eliminate the need to
replace the 112 fan blades on each LCAC. Overhaul periods and operational impact
will be reduced. |
Status:
Ongoing
ST2
has experienced technical difficulties while coating test fan blades.
Porosity in the LISI layer has been linked to substrate contamination.
The cleaning process has been modified to provide a better process.
The focused laser has caused localized annealing of the 6061 aluminum
alloy, especially at the thin leading edges. ST2 and the University of
Tennessee are evaluating new techniques to solve this problem. MTTC
has granted ST2 a contact extension to solve these problems.
Applications:
U.S.
Navy LCAC Fan Blades
LISI
holds promise for numerous other shipboard uses such as permanent non-skid, uptakes,
etc. |
