Abstract: A multi-function shower head including an upper housing, a lower housing, a base plate, the base plate having at least water passages and direct spray holes there-through for selectively enabling water outflow from the upper housing through the base plate, a sliding ring held by the lower housing against the base plate and having at least a second spray pattern, and at least one actuator to selectively align the second spray pattern in the sliding ring with the water passage in the base plate and to adjust from a first spray pattern to the second spray pattern. The base plate and the sliding ring are arranged and disposed with an operating mechanism to automatically adjust the water flow from the second spray pattern to the first spray pattern upon interrupting water flow through, and pressure to the base plate.

Abstract: A composition includes molybdenum disulfide, epoxy binder, and 0.01 to 3 wt % lead. The composition is useful, for example, as dry film lubricant.

Abstract: A composition includes molybdenum disulfide, epoxy binder, and 0.01 to 3 wt % lead. The composition is useful, for example, as dry film lubricant.

Abstract: A compressor blade having an airfoil that comprises oppositely-disposed convex and concave surfaces, oppositely-disposed leading and trailing edges defining therebetween a chord length of the airfoil, a forward-most nose of the airfoil located at the leading edge and having a profile, a blade tip, and an erosion-resistant coating. The coating is present on the concave surface near the trailing edge, optionally present on the nose, optionally present on the convex surface, wherein the convex surface is free of the erosion resistant coating within at least 20% of the chord length from the nose. The thickness of the coating on the concave surface, the convex surface, and the nose is such that, if the gas turbine engine is exposed to an erosive environment, deterioration of the concave surface, the convex surface and the leading edge does not form a pronounced cusp at an intersection of the convex surface and leading edge.

Abstract: A bushing includes a bronze backing layer having a first axial end, a second axial end, and a central opening, the bushing having a cylindrical shape and a porous bronze layer. PTFE or other suitable low friction material is impregnated into the porous bronze layer at one of a radially inner or outer surface of the bushing. A PTFE or other suitable low friction material topical layer is disposed adjacent the impregnated layer. The bushing may optionally comprise a flange which also includes the bronze backing layer, the porous bronze and impregnated layer, and the topical layer on an axially inner or outer surface.

Abstract: A bushing includes a bronze backing layer having a first axial end, a second axial end, and a central opening, the bushing having a cylindrical shape and a porous bronze layer. PTFE or other suitable low friction material is impregnated into the porous bronze layer at one of a radially inner or outer surface of the bushing. A PTFE or other suitable low friction material topical layer is disposed adjacent the impregnated layer. The bushing may optionally comprise a flange which also includes the bronze backing layer, the porous bronze and impregnated layer, and the topical layer on an axially inner or outer surface.

Abstract: Wear-resistant coating systems suitable for protecting surfaces subjected to contact wear at high temperatures, such as surfaces of an assembly comprising high-temperature components of gas turbine engines. The components have surfaces in wear contact with each other. One of the surfaces has a wear-resistant coating system thereon so as to be in wear contact with the surface of the other component. The wear-resistant coating system contains alternating layers of TiAlN and CrN.

Abstract: Wear-resistant coating systems suitable for protecting surfaces subjected to contact wear at high temperatures, such as surfaces of an assembly comprising high-temperature components of gas turbine engines. The components have surfaces in wear contact with each other. One of the surfaces has a wear-resistant coating system thereon so as to be in wear contact with the surface of the other component. The wear-resistant coating system contains alternating layers of TiAlN and CrN.

Abstract: Erosion- and impact-resistant ceramic coatings suitable for protecting surfaces subjected to collisions with particles, including nominally round particles that typically inflict impact damage and more aggressive irregular-shaped particles that typically inflict erosion damage. The ceramic coating is formed to have one of three compositions: at least one layer of titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) having a thickness of about 25 to about 100 micrometers; multiple layers of chromium nitride (CrN) and TiAlN, each layer having a thickness of about 0.2 to about 1.0 micrometers to yield a total coating thickness of at least about 3 micrometers; and at least one layer of titanium silicon carbonitride (TiSiCN) having a thickness of about 15 to about 100 micrometers. The ceramic coating preferably has a total coating thickness of up to about 100 micrometers, and is deposited by a physical vapor deposition process to have a columnar and/or dense microstructure.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing a vacuum coating to a workpiece, including: a coating chamber containing a coating material, with the coating chamber being operable at an elevated temperature and a sub-atmospheric pressure; an electron beam gun projecting an electron beam into the coating chamber and onto the coating material, where the electron beam gun is operable to melt the coating material and to evaporate molten coating material; and, a mechanism for supporting manipulating the workpiece in the coating chamber. The supporting mechanism further includes: a coupling device for retaining the workpiece; a joint connected to the coupling device enabling movement of the workpiece in all directions; an intermediate member connecting the coupling device and the joint; and, a device connected to the intermediate member for moving the workpiece in a designated vertical plane.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating and deposition process for a component intended for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as the turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The TBC has a first coating portion on at least a first surface portion of the component. The first coating portion is formed of a ceramic material to have at least an inner region, at least an outer region overlying the inner region, and a columnar microstructure whereby the inner and outer regions comprise columns of the ceramic material. The columns of the inner region are more closely spaced than the columns of the outer region so that the inner region of the first coating portion is denser than the outer region of the first coating portion, wherein the higher density of the inner region promotes the impact resistance of the first coating portion.

Abstract: A process for depositing coatings, and particularly erosion-resistant coatings suitable for protecting surfaces subjected to collisions with particles, such as a compressor blade of a gas turbine engine. The blade has an airfoil comprising oppositely-disposed convex and concave surfaces, oppositely-disposed leading and trailing edges defining therebetween a chord length of the airfoil, and a blade tip. An erosion-resistant coating is present on at least the concave surface, but not on the convex surface within at least 20% of the chord length from the leading edge.

Abstract: A process for depositing coatings, and particularly erosion-resistant coatings suitable for protecting surfaces of a gas turbine engine blisk having a disk and integral blades with flowpath surfaces that are susceptible to erosion. The processing involves placing the blisk adjacent a coating material source in an apparatus configured to evaporate the source and generate coating material vapors. The blisk is oriented relative to the coating material source so that the axis of rotation of the blisk is within about forty-five degrees of a linear path that the coating material vapors flow from the coating material source to the blisk, and more erosion-susceptible flowpath surfaces of the blades face the coating material source. The blisk is then rotated about its axis of rotation while the coating material source is evaporated to preferentially deposit the coating material vapors and form a coating on the erosion-susceptible flowpath surfaces of the blades and disk.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating and deposition process for a component intended for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as the turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The TBC has a first coating portion on at least a first surface portion of the component. The first coating portion is formed of a ceramic material to have at least an inner region, at least an outer region overlying the inner region, and a columnar microstructure whereby the inner and outer regions comprise columns of the ceramic material. The columns of the inner region are more closely spaced than the columns of the outer region so that the inner region of the first coating portion is denser than the outer region of the first coating portion, wherein the higher density of the inner region promotes the impact resistance of the first coating portion.

Abstract: A turbine airfoil having an improved impact and erosion resistance. The airfoil comprises: (a) a base segment having an impact resistant leading edge section proximate to the leading edge comprising a material having having a yield strength of least about 250 ksi and an elongation percentage of about 12% or less; and (b) an erosion resistant coating overlaying the base segment at least in the leading and trailing edge portions of the pressure side, the erosion resistant coating comprising at least one ceramic layer having at least one of the following properties: (1) an erosion value of at least about 200 g. of erodent to cause a thickness loss of about 15-20 microns; (2) an erosion volume loss value (V) of about 1.9 or less as defined by the equation V=H?0.18×E0.75×F?1.65 where H is hardness, E is elastic modulus and F is fracture toughness; and (3) an F value of at least about 1.5 MPa*m1/2.

Abstract: A rod end bearing comprising a body comprising a ring portion and a rod portion. The ring portion comprises a ring having an opening, the opening having a center axis. The rod portion comprises a first rod extending radially from the ring in a direction perpendicular to the center axis. The opening having a geometry sufficient to support a substantially spherical ball bearing, and permit rotation of the ball bearing inside the ring. The inner periphery of the ring is in contact with the ball bearing and includes a wear coating. An antifriction coating is disposed on a surface selected from the group consisting of a surface of the wear coating, a surface of the ball bearing and combinations thereof. The antifriction coating maintains a coefficient of friction between the wear coating and the ball bearing of up to about 0.95 in atmospheres substantially devoid of water vapor.

Abstract: A method for surface treating a titanium gas turbine engine component. The method includes providing a gas turbine engine component having a titanium-containing surface. The component is heated to a temperature sufficient to diffuse carbon into the titanium and below 1000° F. The surface is contacted with a carbon-containing gas to diffuse carbon into the surface to form carbides. Thereafter, the carbide-containing surface is coated with a lubricant comprising a binder and a friction modifier. The binder preferably including titanium oxide and the friction modifier preferably including tungsten disulfide. The coefficient of friction between the surface and another titanium-containing surface is less than about 0.6 in high altitude atmospheres.

Abstract: A ceramic material suitable for use as a coating, such as a porous thermal barrier coating (TBC) on a component intended for use in a hostile thermal environments. The coating material consists essentially of zirconia stabilized by at least one rare-earth metal oxide and further alloyed to contain a limited amount of titania. Rare-earth metal oxides of particular interest are lanthana, ceria, neodymia, europia, gadolinia, erbia, dysprosia, and ytterbia, individually or in combination. Zirconia, the rare-earth metal oxide, and titania are present in the coating material in amounts to yield a predominantly tetragonal phase crystal structure. The amount of titania in the coating is tailored to allow higher levels of stabilizer while maintaining the tetragonal phase, i.e., avoiding the cubic (fluorite) phase.

Abstract: A method for surface treating a titanium gas turbine engine component. The method includes providing a gas turbine engine component having a titanium-containing surface. The component is heated to a temperature sufficient to diffuse carbon into the titanium and below 1000° F. The surface is contacted with a carbon-containing gas to diffuse carbon into the surface to form carbides. Thereafter, the carbide-containing surface is coated with a lubricant comprising a binder and a friction modifier. The binder preferably including titanium oxide and the friction modifier preferably including tungsten disulfide. The coefficient of friction between the surface and another titanium-containing surface is less than about 0.6 in high altitude atmospheres.

Abstract: A method for surface treating a titanium gas turbine engine component. The method includes providing a gas turbine engine component having a titanium-containing surface. The component is heated to a temperature sufficient to diffuse carbon into the titanium and below 1000° F. The surface is contacted with a carbon-containing gas to diffuse carbon into the surface to form carbides. Thereafter, the carbide-containing surface is coated with a lubricant comprising a binder and a friction modifier. The binder preferably including titanium oxide and the friction modifier preferably including tungsten disulfide. The coefficient of friction between the surface and another titanium-containing surface is less than about 0.6 in high altitude atmospheres.