SPUTTERING ON POLYMERIC COMPOSITES

Polyimide is a moldable thermosetting polymer characterized by dimensional stability and high strength at elevated temperatures and is frequently used with carbon graphite fiber material to fabricate compressor vanes and other structural parts for aerospace applications. When hostile erosive environments are encountered, these parts will require hard erosion-resistant coatings. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the erosion resistance of titanium carbide/nickel alloy (TiC + 10wt.%Ni) and zirconium diboride (ZrB2) coatings on carbon-fiber-reinforced PMR-type polyimide and also to determine the effectiveness of interfacial coatings of titanium with the TiC + Ni coatings and of chromium with the ZrB2 coatings for adhesion enhancement. The erosion resistance of these hard coatings to an abrasive stream of Al2O3 powder as characterized by scanning electron microscopy showed that ZrB2 coatings with optimized thickness deposited on chromium interface coatings have the necessary erosion resistance to satisfy many stringent applications. © 1990.