Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
October 13, 2026
FCC/FCC Composite Coating Revolutionizes Aero-Engine Fuel Pump Durability
TLDR
- Aero-engine fuel pump makers gain a near-zero wear and cavitation-resistant coating advantage with Al10Cr28Co28Ni34/Ag.
- HVOF spraying creates an FCC-compatible Al10Cr28Co28Ni34/Ag coating that forms spherical particles for synergistic lubrication in aviation kerosene.
- This durable coating improves aero-engine fuel pump reliability, enhancing flight safety and reducing maintenance needs for safer air travel.
- Researchers combined high-entropy alloy and silver to achieve a friction coefficient below 0.1 in aviation kerosene.
Impact - Why it Matters
This breakthrough directly addresses a critical challenge in aerospace engineering: the combined wear and cavitation erosion of fuel pump friction pairs, which can lead to lubrication failure and reduced fuel delivery efficiency. By achieving near-zero wear and long-term cavitation erosion resistance in a single coating, this technology could significantly enhance the reliability and lifespan of aero-engine fuel pumps, thereby improving flight safety and reducing maintenance costs. The innovative use of FCC/FCC structural compatibility opens new avenues for designing advanced protective coatings for extreme environments, with potential applications beyond aviation in marine and industrial machinery where cavitation and wear are prevalent.
Summary
Researchers have designed a novel Al10Cr28Co28Ni34/Ag high-entropy alloy composite coating via high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying, leveraging FCC/FCC structural compatibility to achieve exceptional synergistic lubrication, wear resistance, and cavitation erosion protection in low-viscosity aviation kerosene. The study, published in Tribology Advances, addresses the combined wear and cavitation erosion damage in aero-engine fuel pump friction pairs. The coating exhibits a friction coefficient below 0.1, a wear rate approaching zero, and a cavitation erosion mass loss rate of less than 0.1 mg/h. Key players include the research team funded by the National Science and Technology Major Project, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The core innovation lies in exploiting the structural compatibility between the Al10Cr28Co28Ni34 high-entropy alloy (HEA) and Ag, both of which share an FCC structure. This compatibility ensures similar deformation behaviors under external forces, reducing cracking at phase boundaries and enabling uniform, fatigue-resistant coating performance. The HEA provides high strength and work-hardening capacity, confining impact deformation, while Ag forms a low-shear film for lubrication under oil-starved conditions. Additionally, spherical particles formed in situ at the friction interface contribute a rolling effect, enhancing synergistic lubrication. This approach overcomes limitations of traditional bonded solid lubricating coatings (BSLCs), which lack cavitation erosion protection.
The findings offer a new perspective for addressing wear and cavitation erosion in fuel pump friction pairs, potentially improving aero-engine reliability and flight safety. The research was supported by multiple grants, including the National Science and Technology Major Project (Grant No. J2022-VI-0006-0037) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52175200). The full study is available at DOI: https://doi.org/10.3724/trad-20260019.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content distributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, FCC/FCC Composite Coating Revolutionizes Aero-Engine Fuel Pump Durability
