Many optics in both the OMEGA and OMEGA EP lasers are coated with anti-reflective (AR) silane sol-gel to maximize their transmittance. Although these coatings are highly resistant to both airborne contaminants and laser damage, they are susceptible to mechanical damage by abrasion, and thus require extra care during the handling, installation and alignment of sol-gel optics. Previous “hardened”...

Ice abrasion tests were carried out to evaluate the wear resistance of a number of metallic coatings suggested for use on the Molikpaq in the ice zone during its deployment offshore of Sakhalin Island in the 1990’s. At this site, the structure would be exposed to actively drifting ice for about six months each year during which time the structure would be potentially exposed to extensive ice ab...

Using mechanics models of contacting surfaces under both normal and tangential loads, a mechanistic framework has been developed for assessing material resistance to initiation of abrasive damage. Solutions are presented for the critical loads to initiate yielding and cracking at blunt contacts, as well as those to attain a prescribed plastic penetration depth and cause cracking from within the...

Metal matrix composites have been widely studied in terms of abrasion resistance, but a particular material system may behave differently as particle size, morphology, composition, and distribution of the hardening phase varies. The purpose of this thesis was to understand the mechanical and microstructural effects of combining titanium carbide with 431 series stainless steel to create a unique...

Many concrete structures are required to have sufficient abrasion resistance, such as dams, canals, roads and floors. The abrasion resistance of concrete may be defined as its ability to resist being worn away by rubbing. Compressive strength and aggregate type are also important factors affecting the abrasive behaviour of concrete. However, very little information on the properties of haematit...

The tooth-like mouthparts of some animals consist of biomacromolecular scaffolds with few mineral components, making them intriguing paradigms of biostructural materials. In this study, the abrasion resistance of the jaws of one such animal, the bloodworm Glycera dibranchiata, has been evaluated by nanoindentation, nanoscratching, and wear testing. The hardest, stiffest, and most abrasion-resis...