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Coating manufacture

For the manufacture of thermal barrier coatings the institute runs two EB-PVD-coaters (EB-PVD: electron beam physical vapour deposi¬tion): one single source 60kW coater and one 150kW two source coater equipped with a jumping beam electron gun. Processing parameters are identical to industrial equipment. Deposition rates are in the range between 4 and 20µm per minute. A typical columnar microstructure is formed that provides superior strain and thermo-shock tolerance.

For pre-tests, diffusion barriers and material developments a DC/RF laboratory magentron sputtering unit is used.
All necessary processing equipment to manufacture a complete TBC system, e.g. treatment of bond coats (peening, grit blasting, furnaces)

Characterization and testing

For improvements in  the coatings and for quality assurance purposes state-of-the-art techniques such as X-ray fluorescence thickness and roughness measurements, and analytical equipment (SEM, TEM, thermo balances, thermography) are used.
Testing is mostly done in standardized computer-controlled cyclic test rigs at temperatures between 850 and 1200°C. Oxidation experiments with control of weight changes and complex thermo-mechanical testing under temperature gradients are perfomed. Determination of the thermal conductivity is done by Laser flash with the possibility to analyse multilayer samples as well.