Session: 21-01: Poster Session

Paper Number: 98452

98452 - Age Prediction of Thermal Barrier Coatings Using Thermography 

Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) is a multilayer coating applied on metallic structures exposed to high temperatures, such as gas turbine blades and aero-engine parts, to extend the operational life. During the service, a Thermally Grown Oxide (TGO) layer forms at the interface between the ceramic topcoat layer and the bond coat layer as a function of time. Oxide layer growth is the primary cause of TBC performance decline and structure failure. As a result, monitoring the formation of the oxide layer is crucial for determining the component's life and making maintenance decisions. This study considers three types of samples with different serviced times, i.e., newly coated, 500 hours of serviced time, and 1000 hours of serviced time. The thermal aging of TBC samples is monitored using a non-invasive and non-destructive thermal imaging technique. The transient temperature profiles of samples exhibit significant variation due to the different thermal aging. We have developed the 1-D numerical model using a commercial FE package to understand physics better, and the results show good agreement with experiment data. Using the pulsed thermal imaging experiment data and multilayer heat transfer model data, we developed a model for predicting the serviced time of the TBC samples. Moreover, the performance and prediction accuracies of the proposed model are compared with the existing prediction methods. The proposed prediction model could be a helpful tool in low-cost, high-efficiency maintenance decision-making.

Presenting Author: Sruthi Krishna K P Indian Institute of Technology Madras