WORN ENGINE sub-assemblies and components which previously had to be scrapped can now be recovered using a coating called TC-4, according to its developer, Turbine Controls.
The coating is designed to protect components from the effects of corrosion, and can also be used to restore heavily worn surfaces. It can be used as a spray or applied by hand in paste form, replacing conventional plasma-spraying or plating techniques.
According to Glen Greenberg, president of Turbine Controls, the coating prolongs the life of components and "...if it wears or scores, you can machine out the old coating". A part can be continuously re-conditioned "...as long as the parent material retains structural integrity", Greenberg says.
He claims that the TC-4 coating adheres to aluminum, titanium, magnesium, bronze, steel and copper, and has been used to recover previously scrapped housings, gearboxes, cylinders and actuators.
Turbine Controls, based in Bloomfield Connecticut, repairs engine parts for customers including American Airlines, Sabena, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and United Airlines.
Source: Flight International
