The Effects of Solid Particle Erosion of ZrN Coating Material on GF/EP and CF/EP Composites by Using PVD Method

Protective coatings produced by using Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) method can increase the life time of the components. Therefore; in this study, ≈0.25 m m thickness ZrN coatings are applied on Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy (GF/EP) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy (CF/EP) composites by magnetron sputtering to gain an improved understanding of the erosion resistance. The impingement angles used in the tests were 30 ° , 60 ° and 90 ° , while the impact velocity was 53 m/s. Al 2 O 3 abrasive particles with an average diameter of 200 m m was used. All test specimens regardless of their various properties exhibit maximum erosion rates at 30 ° impingement angle and thus exhibiting similar behavior as that observed for ductile materials. Optic microscopic views were performed on the surfaces in order to characterize the erosion mechanism. The erodent particles of the both coating layer and composite matrix were found of main role in governing the wear progression. The measured erosion rates were sensitively correlated with the material removal process in order to explain the changes within the coated interfaces.