The Influence of Thermal Spray Parameters on Experimental Simulation of Volcanic Ash Deposition on Thermal Barrier Coatings

Degradation of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) due to the Deposition of molten environmental deposits primarily emanating from volcanoes, lead to catastrophic damage to the jet engines. The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland on April 2010, led to a protracted grounding of aircrafts throughout Europe and caused severe disruption to the aviation industry. Here, we experimentally simulate the accumulation of ash on TBCs by thermally spraying Eyjafjallajökull ash. The deposition behavior of molten ash on the surface of TBCs was analyzed by varying the spray parameters. Carrier gas flow rate and arc current are primarily responsible for in-flight melting behavior and deposition efficiency of ash on TBC, argon gas flow rates of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 L/min, arc currents of 300 and 700Amp, and a constant spraying distance of 100 mm were chosen for the analysis. The results indicate the deposition dynamics of the volcanic ash particulates on TBCs and their implications on realistic turbine blade deposition.