Thermal Barrier Coatings for Gas-Turbine Engine Applications
Nitin P. Padture,1*
Maurice Gell,1
Eric H. Jordan2
Hundreds of different types of coatings are used to protect a
variety of structural engineering materials from corrosion, wear, and
erosion, and to provide lubrication and thermal insulation. Of all
these, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have the most complex structure and must operate in the most demanding high-temperature environment of aircraft and industrial gas-turbine engines. TBCs, which
comprise metal and ceramic multilayers, insulate turbine and combustor
engine components from the hot gas stream, and improve the durability
and energy efficiency of these engines. Improvements in TBCs will
require a better understanding of the complex changes in their
structure and properties that occur under operating conditions that
lead to their failure. The structure, properties, and failure mechanisms of TBCs are herein reviewed, together with a discussion of
current limitations and future opportunities.
1 Department of Metallurgy and Materials
Engineering,
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
06269-3136, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
nitin.padture{at}uconn.edu
