OPTIMIZATION OF THERMAL BARRIER COATING APPLICATION PARAMETERS ON F-16 JET ENGINE EXHAUST NOZZLE COMPONENTS WITH PLASMA SPRAY METHOD

• Main Author: Farhan Tri Apriansyah, Muhamad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/67269
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) is a crucial part of jet engine components including the exhaust nozzle of the F-16 fighter jet. The TB portion of this component will be damaged with use. For this reason, this study was conducted to determine the optimum spraying distance and feed rate parameters in making improvements using the plasma spray method. In this study, specimens with various parameters of spraying distance and feed rate were made to determine the effect of these parameters on the properties and performance of the resulting coating. TBC consisting of two parts, namely bond coat and top coat were tested and observed. The layer tensile test, hardness test, and erosion test were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the coating. Microstructure characterization and surface markoscopy observations were carried out to observe the morphology of the resulting layer of each parameter. From the test results, increasing the spraying distance (3,4, and 5 inches) decreased the bond strength and increased the surface roughness of the resulting layer due to the frozen powder when deposited. Powder feed rate (4.6 and 8 lb/h) affects the amount of powder deposited, the greater the deposition efficiency, the lower the deposition efficiency. The low feed rate results in a layer that is too dense causing delamination and cracks due to residual stresses. Spraying distance of 4 inches and feed rate of 6 lb/h are the optimum parameters.