Thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems are coating systems containing a metallic bond coat and a ceramic top coat. TBCs are used in gas turbines for thermal insulation and oxidation resistance. Life prediction of TBCs is important as high-temperature exposure degrades the coatings through mechanisms such as thermal fatigue and the formation and growth of thermally grown oxides (TGOs). This thesi...

Following a successful study on the prediction of fatigue life of high-heat-load components made of Glidcop, the thermal limitation of oxygen-free copper (OFC), which is used more commonly than Glidcop, has been studied. In addition to its general mechanical properties, the low-cycle-fatigue (LCF) and creep properties of OFC were investigated in detail and compared with those of Glidcop. The br...

The fatigue growth of a fiber reinforced composite laminate was characterized under thermal cycling using a combined experimental and computational investigation. Twenty-four ply composite laminates (1⁄20 12=90 12 ) are fabricated with a pre-existing delamination, and subjected to thermal cycling in an environmental chamber. The large mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion is used to...

Ceramic thermal barrier coatings are commonly used in gas turbine hot components (e.g., combustor liners/buckets and guide vane platforms). In components that are only partially coated or have cooling-air outlets, coating-end stress singularities may lead to the spallation of the coating. Depending on the geometry of the transition from coated to uncoated material, the severity of the stress si...

Subjective experiments were conducted in a climatic chamber to evaluate the effect of thermal environment on productivity. Chamber was conditioned at operative temperatures of 25°C, 28°C, or 33°C. Several computer tasks were given to the subjects to evaluate task performance. The effects of thermal environment on task performance were contradictory among the task types. According to the evaluat...