Directed Vapor Technologies International, Inc. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: A3.07

Description

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.