An energy-based approach to assess and predict erosive airfoil defouling

A dynamic indentation experiment is presented for assessment of the adhesive behavior of a range of coatings in erosive defouling of commercial aircraft engines using CO2 dry-ice. A series of experiments is presented in which particles made from a reference material (polyoxymethylene - POM) and from CO₂ dry-ice are made to impact compressor airfoils under a range of impact angle and velocity conditions. The airfoils investigated are coated with an indicator material (PTFE), which is typically used to visualise the defouling effect in large scale compressor defouling experiments. In addition, fouled compressor airfoils taken from service and coated with a fouling typically found in low-pressure compressor stages are investigated. The energy required for the reference particles (POM) to create a defouling effect for the different coatings is determined by an experimental evaluation of their coefficient of restitution. This energy requirement is assumed to be fouling specific. Empirical defouling functions are presented. They correlate the defouling effect for both particle materials under various impact conditions. The empirical correlations are developed into a simulation procedure to predict particle impact erosion and energy dissipation of coated surfaces in numerical indentation simulations.