Applications of thermal spray technologies in aero engines

ITSC2023 Abstract

 

Applications of thermal spray technologies in aero engines

 

Robert Vaßen¹, Hanna Heyl¹, Martin Rüßmann¹, Emine Bakan¹, Jochen Fiebig¹, Susanne Schrüfer²

 

This paper reports recent activities on thermally sprayed coating systems for aero engine applications. One thick coating system applied by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is the abradable seal. Here new developments based on MgAl₂O₄ spinel coatings are presented. A major target is increasing the coating thickness without affecting abradability and lifetime. New compositions and also advanced thermal spray technologies are investigated to reach this goal.

Another activity is the coating of additive manufactured parts with thermal barrier coatings without blocking the cooling holes. In this study, thermal spray technologies such as suspension plasma spraying (SPS) and plasma spray physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD) both with non-line-of-sight capabilities are used and compared with standard APS processes.

Finally, the repair of aero engine components by cold gas spraying is discussed. Results of IN718 coatings on IN718 substrates show that high densities and excellent mechanical properties are possible by only using nitrogen as a process gas and optimizing the process conditions.  Furthermore, the transfer of the repair process to real components is demonstrated.