The Effects of Particle Size on the Properties of Thermal Barrier Coatings

Charles J. Weiss

Carleton College

Advising Professor: Rodney Trice

Introduction

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC's) are any thermally insulating material used to protect a substrate from intense heat. This technology has a variety of applications, but its development is mainly driven by its use in protecting parts inside turbine engines. By protecting critical areas of the engines with TBC's, the engines are able to run at higher, more efficient temperatures or require less air-intake for cooling. A common TBC employed today in turbine engines is yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). One concern with these materials is their loss of insulating properties with use due to densification of the initially porous structure and phase changes to more thermally conductive crystal phases.

Project Objectives

Approach:

Results:

A plot of YSZ undergoing linear shrinkage due to densification as the sample is heated in the dilatometer.


Scanning electron micrograph at 6000x magnification showing the grain boundary and micro crack structure of YSZ.


Final Research Presentation