Droplet erosion performance of composite materials electroplated with a hard metal layer

The effectiveness of resistance to water droplet erosion of various electro-deposited metal layers on glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) was investigated. The number of impacts by 2 mm droplets at 225 m s−1 that could be applied before visible damage to the GFRP occurred was significantly higher with the metallic coatings than without. The impact resistance was found to increase in the order: Cu-only < Cr on Cu ∼ Ni–SiC on Cu < Ni on Cu. The best coating increased the impact resistance of the GFRP by more than 20 times compared to the resistance of the uncoated material.