Innovative Processing Methods for the Affordable Manufacture of Multifunctional High Temperature Coatings, Phase I

Research is proposed to investigate the feasibility of using advanced manufacturing techniques to enable the affordable application of multi-functional high temperature coatings having enhanced resistance to high temperature engine environments. For example, thermal / environmental barrier coatings (T/EBCs) are envisioned to protect the surface of Si-based ceramics against moisture-assisted, oxidation-induced ceramic recession. Current T/EBC systems have been demonstrated in long time exposures at ~2400¿F. However, their use at elevated temperatures is limited by the low temperature stability and high diffusion activity of current T/EBC materials. One approach to enhance the temperature capability of these systems is the incorporation of multi-layered T/EBC designs to provide multi-functional protection. In this Phase I effort, novel processing techniques will be developed to enable the affordable, high performance manufacture of such systems using a physical vapor deposition based processing approach which enables enhanced coating adhesion and advanced coating architectural, compositional and microstructural control. Processing developments will then be used to created novel multi-layered coatings. These coating layers will then be incorporated into advanced high temperature capable T/EBC systems in Phase. This work will lead to the incorporation of Si-based ceramic components into enhanced efficiency gas turbine engines to reduce weight and increase operating temperatures. A TRL 4 will be achieved at the end of Phase I and TRL 6 at the end of Phase II. More »