NewCoat

Project idea

In this project a new approach is explored for coating Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBCs) on Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) components. The EBCs are expected to have higher crystallinity and density than today’s coatings, while the new coating method is cheaper and less laborious. Despite of their excellent properties, such as lightweight, increased mechanical properties and higher temperature stability than the metallic super-alloys used today in jet engines, CMCs need to be protected against water vapour to avoid material recession and thus weakening the bearing capacity of the structural components of the engine. Thermal spray coatings have been employed for this purpose, but today’s technique is laborious and expensive. Moreover, the functional properties of these coatings still need to be improved after deposition.

The unicity of the method proposed in this project lies in the rates of the spraying energies (thermal and kinetic) engaged in the process, which is contrasting with those of the methods used today. The new coating method is faster and needs less pre- and post-processing operations thus the final product is expected to be cheaper. It is also a relatively simple and affordable method and thus can be implemented easily at smaller OEM’s and coating shops. If this project will show promising results, a new (and larger) project will be needed to further characterise the coatings properties and functionality. In this new project gas turbine companies will be involved to assess the coating’s functional properties.