A New Approach of Improving Rain Erosion Resistance of Nanocomposite Sol-Gel Coatings by Optimization Process Factors

Erosion protection nanocomposite sol-gel coatings based on tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxisilane (GPTMS) are prepared and characterized to protect marine structures susceptible to damage caused by liquid impact, e.g., the submarine body. This study focuses on the optimization of compositional and process parameters of transparent hybrid nanocomposite sol-gel coatings resistant to rain erosion by using statistical design of experimental methodology (DoE) based on Taguchi orthogonal design. The impact of compositional and process parameters of the coatings on the erosion protection performance is investigated by five-factor-four-level design methodology. Hybrid coatings were deposited on AA5083 by a dip coating technique. Optimization coatings are analyzed regarding their adhesion (pull-off), flexibility (impact and mandrel bending), hardness (pencil), wear (Taber wear index), and rain erosion resistance (stationary sample erosion test). The surface morphology and roughness were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The optimization coatings showed excellent flexibility and adhesion to the substrate with smooth nanostructure surface; the RMS surface roughness was 1.85 nm. The evaluation of the result obtained from abrasion shows cohesive and interfacial wear with abrasive and adhesive mechanisms, respectively. Liquid impact results show cohesive failure of the coatings without any sign of delamination.