N093-175 TITLE: Innovative Materials for Highly Loaded Wear Application in Arresting Gear Tailhook Components

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes, Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Joint Strike Fighter, ACAT I

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate innovative materials for wear intensive, highly loaded arresting gear tailhook components.

DESCRIPTION: Unique tailhook materials are required to meet the dynamic performance needs of aircraft arrestment during carrier landing and Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). During arrestment, friction and thermal loads are generated as the tailhook engages and slides against the arresting cable (cross deck pendant). Currently employed legacy alloys and coatings for arresting gear tailhook components exhibit challenges in manufacturing relating to variable production yield/reject rates and associated cycle time and costs. The objective of this effort will be to investigate, develop, and demonstrate innovative cost effective materials concepts for the arresting gear tailhook, with the intent of obtaining an alternative material which would not require wear and thermal resistant coatings. Also, the alternative material should be capable of satisfying the structural design requirements of the current tailhook (currently 4330V).

PHASE I: Design and develop an innovative approach for alternative arresting gear tailhook materials. Demonstrate feasibility through the fabrication and testing of a limited number of specimens.

PHASE II: Demonstrate and evaluate material on representative components. Demonstration should consider appropriate geometry and performance requirements of arresting gear.

PHASE III: Transition material demonstration package for commercialization and implementation.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Though this effort is focused towards the unique performance needs of the arresting gear tailhook components, such advancements in wear resistant materials may be employed to other military and commercial aircraft (as well as ground based) assets.

REFERENCES:
1. E. Brinley, K.S. Babu, and S. Seal. "Solution Precursor Plasma Spray Processing of Nanomaterials." Journal of Materials, Volume 7 (2007), pp. 54-60.

2. A. Vasiliev, N.R Padture, and X. Ma. "Coatings of Metastable Ceramics Deposited by Solution-Precursor Plasma Spray: I. Binary ZrO2-AI2O, System." Acta Materialia, volume 54 (2006), pp. 4913-4920.

3. H. Singh, H. Puri, and S. Prakash. "Some studies on hot corrosion performance of plasma sprayed coatings on a Fe-based superalloy." Surface and Coatings Technology, volume 192 (2005), pp. 27-38.

KEYWORDS: Wear Materials; Arresting Gear; Tailhook; High Strength Alloys; Manufacturing; Cost

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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