From: N295VV@aol.com
Message-ID: <0.d4286e5b.254d8c6b@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 07:13:31 EST
Subject: Re: Ceramic Coatings
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Mime-Version: 1.0

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From: n295vv

This has been a very interesting and lively debate on engine coatings.  
Perhaps the claims are a bit extravagent and maybe need some substantiation.  

As a chemist and engineer,  I feel that plasma-coated surfaces may eventially 
offer us some relief from the problems we are seeing in our engines, 
especially wear problems.  There are forty or fifty refractory Nitrides and 
Borides that come to mind that should be examined in a scientifice manner, 
including Titanium, Zirconium, Silicon, and Yttrium, to name a few.   

It would be easy to coat the internal parts of a cylinder assembly-including 
the piston rings themselves-and monitor that piston on an engine in a test 
stand, and even a fully coated engine as well.  I would be surprised if the 
SAE has not already done this on a few of the coatings.

On a more modest contribution to airplanes, I know of at least one ceramic 
that should be used in place of the graphite vanes of  our vacuum pumps.  
This material is shock and wear resistant, and is self-lubricating.  If it 
didnt outlast graphite in this use by several magnitudes of time, I would be 
very surprised.  Imagine a vacuum pump that would last 10,000 hours or the 
life of the airplane.   It would be a relatively modest investment to 
investigate this idea, and if anyone out there has manufacturing and 
engineering facilities to look into this particular material, please contact 
me at  n205 v v @ aol.com.

In regards to the current engine discussion,  I havent heard much about the 
Continental cylinder problems lately.  Is this a dead issue?   Are you guys 
still having cylinder problems?  Is Continental making it right with  you?   
Is it true that they screwed the choke up on the top of the cylinder walls 
and that caused it?

David Jones, Pecatonica, Illinois
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