In this project, Hardide coatings which are the leading global innovator and provider of advanced tungsten carbide/tungsten metal matrix composite coatings deposited through Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) are developing a new masking compound which can be used to mask areas on aerospace components during its coating deposition process. With CVD being a non-line-of-sight process, selective coating of intricate parts can be challenging, necessitating the masking of areas which do not require coating to be deposited. With Hardide coatings being unique there is currently no readily available masking compound which can be employed, the only practical option is hard metal masking, which can be both time consuming and provide limited effectiveness. Through this project, Hardide will be developing an effective masking compound compatible with the CVD process chemistry and high temperature, suitable for selective coating application at a production scale, and easy to remove after coating, whilst being practical and economical to use. Characterisation testing will be conducted in preparation for its qualification by aerospace supply chain.

In this project Hardide plc and Cranfield University are collaborating to work towards the development, characterisation, and testing of a new coating variant to be used in green Hydrogen production. Hardide plc based near Oxford is an SME which is the leading global innovator and provider of advanced tungsten carbide/tungsten metal matrix composite coatings deposited through Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). Cranfield University has expertise and facilities for materials testing and characterisation and together both parties will conduct extensive research on tungsten carbide coatings as potential new materials for the future Hydrogen economy which will help to reduce emissions, energy consumption, costs and help achieve Net-Zero targets. Through this project Hardide and Cranfield will continue to build on preliminary research previously carried out on a small scale and explore new opportunities to scale-up its process and expand the application of its coatings in the Hydrogen power generation industry. This project is also expected to improve energy generation efficiency and help minimise the dependency of UK net-zero economy on critical minerals.

Tungsten/Tungsten Carbide (W/WC) coatings are widely employed in the design of engineering systems to withstand high static and cyclic loading conditions. Understanding the limits of the coating is necessary to help design optimal coatings which would be suitable for highly critical applications necessitating high flexural deformation and fatigue resistance. The project will focus on testing the W/WC coatings deposited through Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) under high static and cyclic loads and identifying the impact of key coating characteristics on its performance in demanding applications for the Hydrogen and power generation sectors. Instrumented four-point-bend tests will be employed to study the coating fracture mechanism, measure the fracture limits and test several approaches to optimise the coating performance under high static and dynamic loads. The project team involved in addressing this technical challenge includes Hardide plc, an SME which pioneered the CVD nanostructured W/WC coatings now used by Airbus and other blue chip industrial customers and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK's National Measurement Institute. Together Hardide and NPL will combine their expertise in coating deposition, mechanical testing, and material characterisation to study the behaviour of the coatings when subjected to high static and cyclic loading conditions.

"The proposed Industrial Research project will develop a process for manufacturing hard Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) coating at a lower temperature than currently possible, and also optimising the coating process to make it more efficient and economical to enable coating a wider range of materials and applications. The patented CVD Hardide Tungsten Carbide coatings are currently used on some valve, pump, oil tool and aircraft components and are proven to protect them from wear, erosion and corrosion, typically tripling live of critical parts in demanding environments. Meanwhile the current CVD process temperature of 500°C may affect some grades of steel, limiting the range of the coating applications. The project will start with the lower temperature coating process development. This will involve a significant materials manufacturing technology innovation as reducing temperature has a strong exponential effect on the rate of chemical reactions. This stage will involve a series of experimental coating cycles designed using the Taguchi technique. Once the process development is completed the low-temperature coating key properties will be tested by certified UK laboratories, to enable engineers design the coated parts and to predict their performance. Main areas of focus are developing coating process for the oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical engineering equipment. The new low-temperature coating can also be useful for some aerospace industry materials, tool and bearing steels. Conformal low temperature CVD coating can be best suitable for complex shape parts made by Additive Manufacturing (3D printing). Achieving the project objectives will create new business for Hardide, expand the range of our coatings and applications. It will also have a wider impact on the UK producers of pumps, valves, oil tools, enabling a step change in durability of their equipment, making them more competitive internationally. The project will take 12 months, will be performed by Hardide Plc, an SME as a sole applicant involving several leading UK laboratories as subcontractors to conduct testing."