Abradable coatings are designed to control operational clearances in moving pieces of machinery. Hence their name, these coatings are made from abradable materials intended to wear in a controlled manner when friction occurs against abrasive materials.
There are many industries which abradable coatings can be used in and they are especially popular coatings because of their features. In many industries, wear is a common issue for machinery and parts so preventing and avoiding performance issues related to wear and friction is a priority.
This is where abradable coatings can (and have been!) used.
Where Abradable Coatings Are Used
In any engineering or industrial application where there is a need for controlled friction between moving elements, an abradable coating will be used. This is because these coatings are designed to control wear by allowing for tight fits between the moving components during operation.
It’s common to see abradable coatings being used for machinery that moves when operating or has a lot of friction. Think rotating machinery such as gas turbines, steam turbines, or even turbochargers. They are applied as coatings in the shroud or casing that surrounds the turbine blades.
When the blades in these machines rotate, they do so at extremely high speeds. At the same time, they come into contact with the surroundings, so the casing, and this causes the abradable material to slowly wear away over time. Though it sounds bad, this is actually a good thing. This small gap means that the amount of friction is actually reduced, therefore increasing efficiency and performance.
These are some of the common areas where these coatings are used:
- Aircraft Engines
- Steam Turbines
- Industrial Compressors
- Turbochargers
- Pumps
- High-Speed Rotating Machinery
Aircraft Engines
The compressor and turbine blades in aircraft engines have abradable coatings applied to them so that efficiency is enhanced and clearances are decreased. This doesn’t only help with the performance of the engine but the fuel consumption level, too.
Steam Turbines
Steam turbines are similar to gas turbines and the application of the coating is, too. They’re used in steam turbines for similar reasons, too – to maintain clearances between moving components.
Industrial Compressors
Abradable coatings are used to reduce energy loss during compression in many industrial compressors.
Turbochargers
By maintaining the clearances and minimising any unwanted air leakage, abradable coatings can enhance the performance of the engines in turbochargers.
Pumps
Abradable coating applications can be very beneficial for high performance pumps or other fluid handling equipment. They help to reduce any leakage, resulting in an overall improved rate of efficiency.
Safe to say, abradable coatings have many different industry applications though it works to perform the same job every time. That’s maintaining clearance, reducing wear, and bettering performance.
Alphatek’s Coating Solutions
Alphatek Hyperformance Coatings maintains quite an impressively extensive range of application examples where our own abradable coatings have been incorporated into components. These coatings help components to reach otherwise unachievable levels of performance whilst enabling engineering teams to work flexibly.
Our coating solutions are of the highest possible quality and consistency for a service that’s long-lasting. We care about every one of our customers which is why our engineered solutions minimise opportunities for production interruption and downtime.
No coating enquiry is too complex for us. We love a challenge! Get in touch with us today. Drop us a line at postbox@alphatek.co.uk or phone us on 01706 821 021.
Alternatively, why not visit us in person? Just 20 miles north of Manchester, you can find us in Ramsbottom. Remember to check our opening times.
