Atmospheric Laser Coating Apparatus for Thermal Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for applying thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) require sophisticated setups, vacuum conditions, and plasma generators, leading to high costs and inefficiencies, particularly in transporting evaporant particles over long distances, which results in reduced adhesion quality and increased complexity.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that uses an evaporant source with an energy beam to form a vapour plume, positioning it within 10 cm of the substrate, eliminating the need for vacuum conditions and carrier gases, allowing direct deposition and enhancing kinetic energy and adhesion quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a plasma generating mechanism is used to transport evaporant particles in atmospheric pressure conditions, then the coating process can be performed without vacuum conditions, but the device complexity and cost increase due to the need for additional plasma generation equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the plasma generating mechanism from the coating system, using only a laser beam to vaporize the coating material and form a vapour plume that travels directly to the substrate. This removes the complex plasma generation equipment while maintaining atmospheric pressure operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical plasma generation system with a laser-based vaporization system. The laser beam directly heats and vaporizes the coating material without requiring plasma discharge, substituting a simpler optical system for the complex electromagnetic plasma generation mechanism.
2Manufacturing precision
If vacuum conditions are used for coating deposition, then the coating quality and adhesion are improved, but the device complexity and operational cost increase due to vacuum chamber requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operating pressure parameter from vacuum to atmospheric pressure by using a laser-generated vapour plume that maintains sufficient kinetic energy to reach the substrate without vacuum conditions. This parameter change eliminates the need for vacuum chambers while preserving coating quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser beam performs preliminary vaporization of the coating material at the source, creating a dense vapour plume with high kinetic energy before the particles travel to the substrate. This preliminary action ensures sufficient particle energy to overcome atmospheric pressure resistance without requiring vacuum conditions.
3Area of stationary object
If the distance between evaporant source and substrate is increased, then the coating area coverage is improved, but the particle kinetic energy is reduced leading to poor adhesion quality
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a scanning laser beam that periodically moves across the evaporant source and substrate areas. This periodic action maintains high energy density at the vaporization point while allowing the vapour plume to expand and cover a larger substrate area, balancing both coverage and adhesion quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces costs, simplifies the coating process, improves adhesion, and enables durable, high-quality TBCs suitable for dynamic components like gas turbine engines, with the potential for in-situ reapplication and reduced thermomechanical stresses.
Implementation Method 1
an energy beam source disposed within the open environment and configured to emit at least one energy beam that impinges on an emission region of the evaporant source to form a vapour plume
Implementation Method 2
The maximum distance enables the vapour plume to travel directly from the evaporant source to the surface of the substrate through the open environment, thereby coating the surface of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for coating a surface of a substrate includes an evaporant source disposed within an open environment including air at atmospheric pressure. The evaporant source includes a coating material. The apparatus further includes an energy beam source disposed within the open environment and configured to emit at least one energy beam that impinges on an emission region of the evaporant source to form a vapour plume at the emission region. The vapour plume includes the coating material of the evaporant source. The apparatus further includes a fixture configured to position the evaporant source relative to the substrate within the open environment, such that a maximum distance between the emission region of the evaporant source and the surface of the substrate is less than or equal to 10 cm.