The Reactive Ion Coating (RIC®) process is plasma assisted electron beam evaporation Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process used to deposit hard, erosion resistant Titanium Nitride coatings for gas turbine compressors operating in harsh environments. Volcanic ash, calcium carbonate, silica and alumina sand particulate are all current problems with engine performance.
Rapid deterioration of blades and vanes affects engine performance and erosion resistant coatings are required to extend engine service time by as much as 3 times.
EB-PVD coatings do not require mechanical roughening of the surface to apply the materials like Arc PVD coatings do. This results in lower fatigue life issues and improves overall surface finish without post polishing processes.
Liburdi's latest evolution of the coatings is the GENIII EB-PVD erosion coating. GENIII is "REEM" polish friendly and improves super surface finishes to less than 6 µinches RMS. GENIII improves the erosion resistance and corrosion resistance of the materials by a quantum leap to over 10- 15 times the original erosion coatings requirements.
Most compressor alloys can be coated, including AM355, A286, IN718, Custom 450, Ti-6Al-4V, some T6 aluminum alloys and others.
Increased compressor performance:
Liburdi has provided this RIC® technology for over two decades for commercial and military applications worldwide.
Commerically available engine programs
EB-PVD coating of HPC blades