Polymer Nanocomposite Coatings for aerospace composite components

Hua-Xin Peng ()
Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science ACCIS) & NanoScience and Quantum Information (NSQI)

www.bris.ac.uk/composites

Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science (ACCIS)

13 staff members ~20RAs ~50 PhDs 25m National Composites Centre 7.2m Centre for Doctor Training (CDT) Rolls Royce UTC (4.35m) Industrial Doctorate Centre (3.8m) GE Aviation UTSP (1.25m) Vestas UTC (1.3m) Extensive links to aerospace companies

ACCIS research themes

Multifunctional Composites and Novel Microstructures
Hierarchical Microstructures

Design, Analysis and Failure

Scaling effects on strength

Intelligent Structures

Multistable morphing composites Simulating drape on complex parts

Composites Processing and Characterisation

National Composites Centre (GBP 25m)

National Composites Centre

Applications of Carbon Fibre Composites (CFC)

Carbon laminate Carbon sandwich Fiberglass Aluminum Aluminum/steel/titanium pylons

Aeronautical applications focus

Agusta Westland

Report 2009

Airman James R. Evans, U.S. Navy

The Challenges

Agusta Westland

HH60 Kuwait Landing

Airman James R. Evans, U.S. Navy

The Challenges

Agusta Westland

HH60 Kuwait Landing

Airman James R. Evans, U.S. Navy

The Challenges
Erosion - particle abrasion - sharp object cut - water erosion Lightning protection De-icing

Solution Nano-enabled Coatings

ACCIS nano-Roadmap
Nano-particle(s) Polymeric matrix
Coatings Formulation RA-1, PhD-1

Particles functionalization & matrix compatibility Dispersion & Formulation (Bead milling system)

Fundamentals

Spray coatings (Dowty)

Tape applications (3M, WHL)

Paints (PPG, AUK, WHL)

Routes to Applications

Routes to Application

Erosion performance:
---Sand, Water, Cutting

Physical properties ---Lightning effects Mechanical properties Propellers (DP), rotor blade (WHL, 3M), Paint (WHL, Airbus, PPG), wind turbines (3M), automobiles (3M) .

Design & Evaluation RA-2, PhD-2 (internal fund) Technician

Characteristics

Demo/Applications

Applications

Erosion & Impact Damage

Erosion & Impact Damage

Development erosion and cut resistant polymer nanocomposite coatings for rotor & propeller blades

Comparison of PU tape (left) & sprayed PU (right) to 1% nano-diamond coating (middle) in sand erosion tests

PU tape

1% ND

Sprayed PU

Sand Erosion Mechanism

Soft/ductile coating Hard/brittle coating Nanocomposite coating

Nanocomposite Scratch Resistance

Scratch-resistance performance of nano-alumina particles with various loading in UV curable coatings Nanophase Technologies Corp.

Nano-diamond reinforcement
Why nano-diamond?

Driven by potential erosion/cut protection:

Hard Mass produced (and cheap) Potential for surface functionality

Material Epoxy Polyurethane Alumina

Thermal Conduction (W/mK) 0.59 0.16 40

SiC
Aluminum Gold Nickel Silver St. Steel Titanium

120
220 310 90 429 16 22

And coincidentally >5x greater thermal conduction than silver

Diamond

>2000

Fundamental aspects Process 1

Key to reap the full benefits of the nanoparticles Provides the low cost and high performance Large-scale production. Involves the following: Particle/polymer interface modification Dispersion Incorporation into spraying apparatus

Fundamental aspects Process 2

Nanoparticles
1 Add particles to solvent while mixing with HSD

Preploymer
2

Curing Agent
1 2

Mix with solvent Heat to 70C

Mix with solvent Heat to 70C

Highly loaded, but deagglomerated and dispersed slurry

Mill Base

Recirculate in bead mill with dispersant

Add Mill base to particle slurry slowly but with rapid stirring using HSD/Bead mill

1 spray coating

2 moulding (heated mould)

Fundamental aspects Functionalizing

Functionalising nano- diamond particles:
Chlorine stage 1: Free radical attack of surface hydrogen
H ND + Cl2
UV

Cl + HCl ND

Chlorine stage 2: Chlorine substitution reaction

Cl ND
NH2 OH

+ NH3 or H2O

or
ND ND

+ H 2O

Fundamental aspects - Rheometry

100.00 0% ND 3% ND 1% ND 5% ND

Viscosity (Pa.s)

10.00

0.10

1.00 1.00

10.00

100.00

1000.00

Shear rate (1/s)

25C, Malvern Gemini Rheometer

0.10

Particular importance to sprayed coatings

Large increase in viscosity at 5% weight HVLP 2k spray system Departure from Newtonian behaviour Large increases in solvents needed to maintain processing ability

Testing: Sand erosion resistance

PU PU + 1wt% nano-diamond

10mm

ACCIS produced PU and 1wt% nanodiamond / PU tested using grit blaster at extreme close range (<15mm) for 1 minute
Similar damage pattern but substantially less to the nanocomposite which primarily shows surface damage which has been seen to be quickly removed leaving a smooth surface.

Testing: Thermal Conduction

Thermal Conduction (W/mK)
0.2400 0.2000 0.1600 0.1200 0.0800 0.0400 0.0000 0 1 3 5 % weight of filler in PU 8 Batch A Batch B

21.1% increase at 1%

29.5% increase at 5% Conduction plateau reached?

Lightning and de-icing

Lightning strike

Protecting the 787

Lightning strike

Lightning strike

Aircraft Blade De-icing

Small quantities of ice build up on aerofoil sections leads to rapid & significant changes blade lift & pitching moments Icing is not just a problem encountered in cold climates

Inflatable boots or spray chemical solutions simply not as versatile or robust as heat based systems

Ice build up on a Wessex rotor blade

Aircraft Blade De-icing

Awareness that current polymer coatings inhibit thermal de-icing systems. Modern helicopters need as much as 6kW which is transferred through slip rings at the 10mm rotor hub

10mm

Due to insulation effect much of this will go backwards into the carbon fibre structure

Copper heater elements embedded in composite rotor structure

Lightning strike & De-icing What properties? - electrical conductivity - thermal - dielectric CNT, ACCIS buckypaper and composites

Fundamental aspects
Decorating MWCNTs with Ag nanoparticles

X-ray EDX of Ag/MWNTs

Fundamental aspects
Decorated CNTs and ACCIS Buckypapers

Fundamental aspects
Buckypapers and Composites

ACCIS buckypaper Electrical conductivity and EMI:

Materials (monolayer) Electrical conductivity (S/cm) Thickness /(m) EMI shielding effectiveness (dB)

MWNT/ NPs

40

110

38.47

MWNT

27.7

120

36.07

ACCIS buckypaper Thermal response:

Heating Stabilising Cooling 5 Volts

Temperature (oC)

6V

7V

Time, (s) Joule heating under various electric voltages:

Thermal imaging of Max Temp. @ volts

Concluding remarks
Nanotechnology affords the opportunity to create a range of advanced materials & composites
Challenges facing the Aerospace engineering:
Hardness, Radiation, solar absorption, infrad emission Heat pipes, antenna reflector & systems Electrical housing/bond Space craft structures Solar array substructures