City College Interns in Materials Research 1998

Intern: Kevin Robison

Mentor: Jennifer Litty

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Carlos Levi

Supporting Grant Agency: Advanced Gas Turbine Systems Research (AGTSR)

Project Title: Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) grown by Electron-Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EB-PVD)

ZrO2, used as a thermal barrier coating (TBC) in turbine engines is deposited onto an FeCrAlY substrate by means of electron beam-physical vapor deposition. During this process, parameters such as substrate temperature, partial oxygen pressure, and deposition rate are monitored. After deposition, the microstructure of the TBC is studied with the use of both the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM).

The microstructure depends mainly on parameters mentioned above. This research will lead to higher operating temperatures for turbine engines which will increase efficiency substantially.

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