Thermal barrier coatings, components, method and apparatus for determining past-service conditions and remaining life thereof
A method for determining past-service conditions and/or remaining useful life of a component of a combustion engine and/or a thermal barrier coating (“TBC”) of the component comprises providing a photoluminescent (“PL”) material in the TBC, directing an exciting radiation at the TBC, measuring the intensity of a characteristic peak in the emission spectrum of the PL material, and correlating the intensity of the characteristic peak or another quantity derived therefrom to an amount of a new phase that has been formed as a result of the exposure of the component to extreme temperatures. An apparatus for carrying out the method comprises a radiation source that provides the exciting radiation to the TBC, a radiation detector for detecting radiation emitted by the PL material, and means for relating a characteristic of the emission spectrum of the PL material to the amount of the new phase in the TBC, thereby inferring the past-service conditions or the remaining useful life of the component.
General Electric Company
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G01N G01N
inventional inventional
Anant Achyut Alok Mani John William Holly Ann Luke Nathaniel James Anthony
Setlur Srivastava Devitt Comanzo Brewer Ruud