Ceramic coatings protect jet engines.

• Position: Volcanic Ash - Brief article

Last year's $2,000,000,000 shutdown of European airspace following a volcanic eruption in Iceland alerted everyone to the danger that ash clouds can pose to aircraft engines. Now, researchers have discovered that a new class of ceramic coatings could offer jet engines special protection against volcanic ash damage in the future, according to a study published in Advanced Materials. The researchers tested coatings that originally were developed to keep airborne sand from damaging jet engines, and found that they also resist ash.

'Of course, its best for jets to avoid ash in the first place, but that's not always possible," notes engineer Nitin Padture, who led the study. '"We determined that these coatings could offer sufficient protection against small amounts of ash ingested by the engine over time." Large amounts of ash, however, can jam a jet engine and cause it to stall. These coatings would not be useful in those extreme circumstances.

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