EngD in Multi-layer Thermal Barrier Coating Systems Optimised for Manufacturability and Performance in Demanding Gas Turbine Environments

As a research engineer on our International Doctorate programme, you will have unrivalled access to some of the best teaching and industrial expertise in the world, across three universities. While you will be based at Cranfield University and Rolls-Royce, you will also spend time at Warwick and Exeter Universities to give you the broadest possible experience. You will emerge from the four-year programme more confident and better equipped to make a difference to your company and the global marketplace. This opportunity also provides a substantial tax free stipend equivalent to many graduate jobs.
Cranfield University and Rolls-Royce are seeking a top class candidate to undertake research leading to the award of an International Engineering Doctorate awarded jointly by the Universities of Warwick, Exeter and Cranfield.

The focus of this EngD project is to understand the manufacturing and performance of multi-layer Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) systems, with specific focus on understanding how the design of materials and micro-structures affects the performance of the system, and the potential trades between performance and the manufacturability of the system.

TBC systems are integral to the design of high performance turbine components for gas turbine engines. Turbine components operate under demanding thermal and mechanical conditions, which are then made more challenging due to the complex range of airborne mineral species (commonly referred to as Calcia-Magnesia-Alumino-Silicates or “CMAS”) which can be ingested during operation and can interact with the TBC system to detrimentally impact component life times. The development of TBC systems more durable to these complex environments can enable higher operational temperatures and therefore reduced specific fuel consumption, or increased component durability, which decreases overall component and engine life cycle costs.

Many new CMAS-resistant TBC concepts rely on multi-layer structures to provide the required durability for the range of potential coating degradation modes. The project will involve understanding the deposition and fabrication of these coating, their detailed characterisation, as well as the evaluation of the functionality of the coatings using a range of laboratory based experimental techniques, including: spallation, erosion and impact, CMAS resistance and reflectivity/transmissivity. This project will focus on the Electron Beam - Physical Vapour Deposition (EB-PVD) method for the manufacturing of multi-layered CMAS-resistant coatings, and as part of this should also consider the implications of the final coating design on the manufacturability of real components, considering aspects such as the ease of implementation and aspects such as robust process control.