PROJECT TITLE: Integrated Evaluation System for Advanced MulTilayered MateriaLs in AeroSpace Related Fields — ATLAS

Coordinator: National Institute of Materials Physics (NIMP) 

Partners: National Institute for Aerospace Research “Elie Carafoli” (INCAS), Bucharest

Period: 19 November 2012 – 18 November 2015

Project director: Dr. Corneliu Ghica

Project team: 25 scientific and technical staff

NIMP, 13 personnel: 3 CS1, 3 CS3, 1 ACS (post doc), 2 ACS (PhD student), 1 ACS (MSc student), 2 technicians

INCAS, 12 personnel: 3 CS1, 2 CS3, 2 ACS (MSc student), 2 ACS, 1 Eng., 1 specialist IT, 1 mathematician, 1 technician

Description: The project goal is to set up a reliable scientific and technological distributed infrastructure (STEDI) of growth and characterization of Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC) for applications in the aerospace industry and related industries (transportation, co-generative systems in the energetic industry, steel industry, machines manufacturing industry) in Romania or abroad.

STEDI includes state-of-the-art equipments for large area special coating – air plasma spray (APS), high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) and high-velocity oxy fuel (HVOF); subcontracted to Plasma Jet SRL, Magurele, Ilfov thermal and tribological testing – QTS2 quick thermal shock installation, morpho-structural investigations – Analytical SEM-FIB system (Tescan Lyra III) for morphological (SEM) and compositional (EDS) investigations, thin lamella preparation for TEM investigations

– Analytical HRTEM (JEM ARM 200F) for interface characterization, high resolution structural (TEM/HRTEM, STEM) and compositional (EDS, EELS, EFTEM) investigations

Project objectives:

• Develop an appropriate analysis protocol by structural and compositional methods to diagnose the thermal and dynamic shock behaviour of nanostructures with functional gradient based on zirconia.
• Improve the technical performances of the dedicated installation for thermal shock testing existing at INCAS, in order to improve the reproducibility and reliability of the monitored testing parameters and to extend the available experimental possibilities by implementing the rapid cooling in water.
• Reveal the physical and chemical mechanisms responsible for the layers adherence, formation of the TGO layer and delaminating of the thermally tested TBC systems.
• Elaborate multilayered micro- and nano-structured coatings with controlled appropriate properties for hard tribological exploitation in complex harsh environment for applications in the aerospace industry and related domains, to allow the reduction with ~100 oC of the hot parts.

Activities:

• Logistics and technical measures necessary for project achievement
• Preliminary tests and specific investigations on multilayered TBC systems obtained by PS
• Interface processes in multilayered TBS tested in extreme conditions of thermal gradients
• Tge delamination mechanism for the TBC structures by corroborating the results of in-depth structural analyses and testing under extreme conditions. Elaboration of a demonstrator.

Contributions to the STAR programme objectives:

Our project fits the Specific Objective of the STAR Program aiming the “development of technologies, systems, instruments and equipments for space, aeronautics, security and related fields”. The engaged infrastructure, synthesis/characterization protocols, obtained results prove and foster the ability of the involved organizations (NIMP, INCAS) to participate in ESA Programs on projects related to synthesis and testing of materials to be used in extreme conditions for special applications.

Homepage: http://www.infim.ro/projects/integrated-evaluation-system-advanced-multilayered-materials-aerospace-and-related-fields