New ceramic coating could have hypersonic applications

(Credit: University of Manchester)

Hypersonic flight – defined as Mach five or above – would see aircraft subjected to external temperatures between 2,000 and 3,000°C, leading to structural challenges caused by oxidation and ablation. Amongst other materials, current spacecraft and missiles rely on ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) to combat high temperatures. However, according to Manchester University, conventional UHTCs can’t currently satisfy the associated ablation requirements of hypersonic flight.

“At present one of the biggest challenges is how to protect critical components such as leading edges, combustors and nose tips so that they survive the severe oxidation and extreme scouring of heat fluxes such temperatures cause to excess during flight,” said Philip Withers, Regius Professor at Manchester University.

Working in collaboration with Central South University (CSU), China, and the Royce Institute, Withers and his colleagues developed a carbide coating that performs 12 times better than Zirconium carbide (ZrC), a widely used UHTC often found in tool bits.