International. A new self-healing thermal barrier coating (TBC) was created by researchers at the Technical University of Delft (Netherlands) with the aim of making gas turbine engines more efficient.
The researchers said the coatings were tested on aircraft engines, but can also be deployed on submarines, ships or even for electric power generation.
The use of TBCs allows engines to be forced beyond the melting point of their structural components, as well as fuel savings and co2 emissions.
According to the website cordis.europa.eu ceramic TBCs have the ability to repair small cracks and therefore extend the useful life of coatings by between 20 and 25% and therefore considerably reduce maintenance costs. They would also involve a reduction in the number of spare parts that must be made during the life of a turbine.
The new ceramic coatings have a layer of zirconium dioxide enriched with small particles of molybdenum and silicon that give the coating a self-healing capacity. The silicon oxidizes the moment a crack occurs, which is covered with silicon oxide. This oxide reacts with the ceramic coating layer and creates a stable "filler".
