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Adherent and Reliable Alumina Coating Development for Oxidation Protection of Superalloys at High Temperature--Surmet Corporation, 33 B Street, Burlington, MA 01803-3406; 781-272-3250
Dr. Suri A. Sastri, Principal Investigator
Dr. Suri A. Sastri, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-98ER82681
Amount: $750,000
Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are used to prolong the lives of high temperature superalloy components in aircraft and power turbine. During operation, an oxide scale grows underneath the TBC. When this reaches a critical thickness, buckling will occur due to compressive residual stresses leading to coating failure. Thus, the life of the TBC and the component are limited by scale growth kinetics. During Phase I, an innovative, alumina-based coating design was developed for three superalloys in order to mitigate the problem of high-temperature oxidation. The externally deposited coating was found to have significantly slowed scale-formation kinetics, thereby prolonging the life of the TBC and extending component life. In Phase II, the coating technology will be developed further through deposition of the coating on test buttons and then performing oxidation, thermal, and furnace cycle tests. Once optimized, the process will be utilized to coat actual components and demonstrate scale-up potential. The coated components will then be characterized in simulated operating conditions.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Beyond turbines, the coatings should also have applications in wear resistant components, optical filters, microelectronics, electrical insulation, and anti-reflective coatings.