#4: Optimize Seal Material with Wear Protection
We have a variety of materials that can be used in different cross sections of our metal seals. Rene 41, Waspaloy and Inconel 718 are most commonly used for gas turbine engines. These materials are primarily chosen based on temperature with consideration of the mating hardware materials.
Parker metal seals can be manufactured bare, without a surface treatment, but they are most often plated or coated. The plating or coating is softer than the base material and fills the imperfections on the mating surfaces. Plating options we offer include indium, tin, PTFE, silver, gold, copper and nickel. Plating type is chosen based on your application’s specific requirements.
In applications with high vibration and large cavity movement, TriCom® coating is recommended as an anti-wear protection. TriCom® provides a smoother and more durable surface finish compared with the Industry standard T800 coating (a.k.a thermal spray). In addition, the wear surface finish provided by TriCom improves sealing effectiveness and reduces the leakage rate significantly. Tri-Com® is a cobalt chrome carbide and can be used up to 1,150 degrees Fahrenheit. There is also a TriCom-HT version for high temperatures, which is a cobalt nickel chrome carbide that can be used up to 1,400 degrees in continuous exposure.