Sand Erosion of Polyurethane Coating Materials for CFRP at Elevated Temperature

Abstract

Sand erosion is a phenomenon in which the collision of solid particles erodes a material surface. The rate of sand erosion is higher in carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) than in metallic materials. Therefore, CFRP requires a light and protective coating material. Herein, to improve the erosion resistance of CFRP, five polyurethane coated CFRPs with different glass transition temperatures were investigated at elevated temperatures, and a prediction formula of the erosion rate at the elevated temperatures was established. Furthermore, computational fluid dynamics was used to predict the surface temperature and erosion rate of fan exit guide vane (FEGV) when polyurethane coating was applied, and the coating thickness for FEGV in the erosion environment was estimated based on these predictions.