Suspension Sprayed YSZ Thermal Barrier Coatings on Inconel 718 Aerospike Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Abstract Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes offer geometrical freedom to design complex shaped parts that cannot be manufactured with conventional processes. This leads to new applications including aerospace propulsion systems where the Ni-superalloy based material has to withstand high operating temperatures. In this contribution suspension plasma sprayed YSZ TBC coating was applied on the spike contour of an additively manufactured aerospike engine demonstrator. The engine was designed for a hydrogen peroxide / kerosene 6 kN thrust at 2.0 MPa chamber pressure and was manufactured from nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 powder using the laser powder bed fusion process (LPBF). Due to the novelty of the application of suspension sprayed YSZ thermal protection coatings on additively manufactured Inconel 718 components, extensive tests were necessary to characterize the interaction between the coating and the component.