ADVANCED HEAT INSULATING COATING

 

The researchers in this project are developing heat insulating coatings that are used to protect components in cars, aeroplanes and gas turbine engines against high temperatures. These coatings are called TBCs, thermal barrier coatings. Better TBCs allow higher combustion temperatures. This means lower fuel consumption and emissions, which of course is more environmentally friendly.

The process used to manufacture the coatings is thermal spraying. In this process melted or heated materials are sprayed onto a surface at high temperatures. In a previous project the researchers have developed TBCs with significantly reduced heat conductivity without reducing the lifespan of the coatings. The heat conduction of a coating is largely determined by its microstructure. The microstructure is in turn affected by how the thermal spraying is executed.

The aim of the current project is twofold. The new coatings of the previous project will be industrially implemented. The researchers will also investigate new materials and thermal spraying processes to be able to lower the heat conductivity of the TBCs even more and to prolong their lifespan.