Researchers at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) have created a solid nickel matrix filled with a lubricating material - graphite, which will help protect the friction units of aircraft engines from wear. The first tests on engine installations are scheduled for 2024, the press service of the educational institution said.
Associate Professor of one of the MAI departments, Maxim Lyakhovetsky, explained that the service life of aircraft engines depends on the wear resistance of components. At the same time, the scientist emphasized that liquid lubricants cannot be used for them. Usually, solid lubricants similar to the one created at MAI are used to protect rubbing parts.
According to Lyakhovetsky, two-component coatings combine the properties of a lubricant (increased adhesion) and wear-resistant materials (reduced coefficient of friction). When developing new types of aircraft engines, it is important to introduce new technologies, he concluded.
MAI is preparing to test the lubricant as part of an engine installation. In the future, its use on spacecraft is not excluded.
Earlier it was reported that MAI employees took part in the development of the small aircraft "MAI-411."
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