Surface engineering in aircraft parts

[Yves]

Hi everybody,

My name's yves and I am a new member. Congratulations for the forum, it is really great! I am an aircraft enthusiast and an intern for an Industrial Worldwide Gas Supplier. I am making a market study on aeronautics. Here are my questions :

- What are the surface engineering techniques used to treat aircraft parts, engine parts, landing gears and other parts of an aircraft ?
- What are the gases used and what is their importance, what are their roles in the process ?
- What is the average volume of gas used to treat, say, an engine compressor through thermal spray for abradable coating? what is the ratio (gas expense)/piece treated in this case ?

Can anybody tell me ? Any info on this will be welcomed. If anyone needs info on the aeronautics market, i can share as well.

Enjoy your day everybody !

[Gordon]

Hi Yves

Welcome to the Surface Engineering Forum.

1. Probably, every surface engineering technique you could think of is used somewhere in the manufacture of an aircraft.

2.
Fuel gases for thermal spray, welding, brazing and many processes requiring heat:
Acetylene
Propane
Propylene
Hydrogen
and not forgetting oxygen as an oxidant.

Gases used in plasma spraying:
Argon
Helium
Nitrogen
Hydrogen
Many other processes use these gases such as vacuum furnaces, weld shielding, PVD and CVD etc..

Cryogenic processes, cooling and quenching:
Carbon dioxide
Nitrogen

Sure I missed a few, but those above are the most common that comes to mind.

3.
I could give you an idea of gas consumption for various thermal spray processes and coatings given process time or coating mass/volume sprayed