Robust High Temperature Environmental Barrier Coating System for Ceramic Matrix Composite Gas Turbine Components using Affordable Processing Approach

Research is proposed to demonstrate the use of advanced manufacturing techniques to enable the affordable application of multi-functional thermal / environmental barrier coatings (T/EBCs) having enhanced resistance to high temperature combustion environments. 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 substrate temperatures. However, their use at elevated temperatures (i.e. 2700�F substrate temperatures) is limited by the low temperature stability and high diffusion activity of current T/EBC materials. One approach to increase the temperature capability of these systems is the incorporation of multi-layered T/EBC designs. In this Phase I effort, enhanced processing techniques will be employed to demonstrate the manufacture of robust T/EBC bond coat systems using a physical vapor deposition based processing approach which enables improved coating adhesion and advanced coating architectural, compositional and microstructural control, as well as non-line-of-sight (NLOS) deposition. Scaled processing approaches will then be used to demonstrate the deposition of high temperature capable T/EBC bond coats onto components of interest to gas turbine engine manufacturers. These bond coats will then be incorporated into full high temperature capable T/EBC systems planned in Phase II. Finally, concepts to enable the deposition of T/EBC bond coat systems on NLOS internal regions of hollow components will be investigated. This work will significantly aid the incorporation of Si-based ceramic components in gas turbine engines resulting in reduced weight and increased operating temperatures.

This research is anticipated to the development of result in robust processing approaches for environmental barrier coating systems that enable higher temperature capability and improved durability than current EBCs. These advancements will help enable the use of Si-based ceramics in high temperature capable gas turbine engines. These advances will potentially benefit all gas turbine engines requiring greater performance and efficiency. In addition, this research specifically supports the goals of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) which seeks to expand the boundaries of aeronautical knowledge for the benefit of the Nation and the broad aeronautics community and in particular NASA ARMD's Subsonic Fixed Wing Project which has a goal of conducting long term research in technologies which promote, among other things, higher performance and higher efficiency gas turbine engines.

The development of high temperature T/EBC systems using DVTI's advanced coatings processing techniques will enable not only new T/EBC systems for use in future military and commercial aircraft platforms, but also new deposition processes to enable affordable coating application onto engine components. DVD coaters are envisioned to be small with low capital costs and tailorable volumes so that small volumes of parts can be deposited at low cost. The soft vacuum required and the high deposition rates also have the potential to facilitate assembly line like part coating for some geometries. The non-line-of-sight capabilities of this approach enable coatings to be applied onto complex components thus expanding their use. The compositional and morphological flexibility of this approach would also enable other advanced functional coating systems to be applied such as thermal barrier coatings, wear and corrosion resistant coatings, thin film batteries and damping coatings.

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