Abstract
The Airbus A380 program marked the Goodrich Landing Gear introduction of High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) applied tungsten carbide cobalt chrome (WC-Co-Cr) coating as a replacement coating for electrolytic hard chrome. HVOF is a new coating technology when applied to aircraft landing gear so specifications for coating application, finishing, powder and supplier qualification were developed to reflect the unique function of landing gear components. Since the materials, sizes and shapes of landing gear components are dissimilar to other aerospace parts currently HVOF sprayed, the capabilities of each spraying and grinding supplier needed careful assessment. Both suppliers and internal customers required training on the requirements specific to landing gear. This paper will discuss the development of HVOF specifications specific to aircraft landing gear, the methods developed for qualifying HVOF suppliers, and some challenges encountered when introducing HVOF-applied WC-Co-Cr as a hard chrome replacement.
