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Air Cycle Machine Low Friction, Medium Temperature, Foil Bearing Coating

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Navy
Contract: N68335-16-C-0210
Agency Tracking Number: N16A-005-0175
Amount: $79,999.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N16A-T005
Solicitation Number: 2016.0
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2016
Award Year: 2016
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2016-05-20
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2016-12-30
Small Business Information
1980 Olivera Ave
Concord, CA 94520
United States
DUNS: 149397015
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Dr. Kelvin Wong
 (925) 798-5770
 wong@acreetech.com
Business Contact
 Mike McFarland
Phone: (925) 798-5770
Email: mcfarland@acreetech.com
Research Institution
 University of Texas Arlington
 Dr. Daejong Kim
 
202 E. Border St. Suite 208
Arlington, TX 19145
United States

 (817) 272-7620
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of using an innovative, durable, low friction, and non-toxic solid lubricant coating for foil air bearings for air cycle machines (ACM). Acrees coating provides superior wear characteristics at all temperatures and provides a substantial improvement over polyimide type coatings that are currently used on ACMs. The coating consists of two parts: A coating on the journal and a separate coating on the foil. The journal coating is a proven, highly lubricious, extremely robust, self-lubricating nanocomposite material that reduces frictional heating and is resistant to scuffing and brittle fracture over a wide temperature range (>650 C). The coating consists of an innovative graded nanocomposite structure with a soft noble-metal matrix intermixed with nanoparticles of a hard transition metal nitride. The top foil will be coated with a proven solid lubricant coating of aluminum-bronze (Cu-4Al) alloy. The coatings will be applied using Acrees Energetic Deposition Process which yields a highly dense and smooth film that does not require post-deposition grinding or polishing. The combination of the nanocomposite journal and aluminum-bronze foil coatings results in an extremely robust, wear resistant, and highly reliable air bearing surface that will significantly outperform todays polyimide coatings.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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