About This Conference
The proposed conference will be fifth in a series of conferences sponsored by ECI at Irsee, Germany on Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC). Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) Systems continue to be a key materials technology that offers great benefit to the operation of gas turbine aircraft engines, gas turbine shipboard engines, land-based industrial gas turbine engines, and recently, diesel reciprocating engines. The technology associated with TBC has progressed steadily since the introduction of theses coatings over fifty years ago. It is noteworthy that research in thermal barrier coatings has accelerated greatly in the past twenty years and that this research has resulted in the commercial and military use of new bond coats, low conductivity coatings, coatings that resist degradation induced by environmental deposits ingested into the engine.

Current research includes development of prime-reliant TBCs, coatings capable to operate at higher temperatures, new reliable and cost-effective manufacturing routes, especially in the area of thermal spray, and recently, TBCs that will resist reaction with deposits such as CMAS or volcanic ash. An emerging area of research is combined thermal and environmental barrier coatings that protect ceramic matrix composites, new silicide-based materials, titanium, and cobalt-based single crystal alloys where the coatings are key for successful introduction of the materials into application. Thermal barrier coating systems are now key elements in the design of new and advanced engines and are enabling many new designs with improved efficiencies and higher thrusts. Extensive research and development of TBC is being carried out in every major industrialized country by industry, academia, and national institutions and laboratories.

Very successful TBC conferences were sponsored by ECI at Kloster Irsee, Germany during August 17-22, 2003, August 12-17 2007, August 7-12 2011, and June 22-27, 2014. Over 400 researchers and practitioners in total attended these conferences. Although energy transition lead in several countries to reduced research efforts for large stationary gas turbines, research activity has continued to be strong especially in the aero engine sector and the successful implementation of new and advanced coating systems has been achieved. Several technologies that were in the developmental phase and reported on at previous ECI TBC conferences are now being deployed and can be discussed.

Also since the last conference, research activities in TBCs are still increasing in different parts of the world such as Asia, especially in China. It is thus timely to have a sequel to the prior Irsee meetings to bring together scientists, engineers, professors, and students to report and discuss recent progress in TBC development and use, and define future development activities and directions. Recent workshops, such as ICACC and ICMCTF that also cover this technology have been consistently well-attended and dynamic in nature. In addition, workshops on processing related issues as suspension plasma spraying with a special focus on TBCs are receiving increasing interest.

Thermal barrier coatings are complex, multi-layered, and multi-material systems with many variants related to composition, processing and microstructure. Also additional functionalities as sensoric properties play an increasing role. Further understanding of the science and behavior of these materials that will result in the successful advancement of the technology requires a truly multidisciplinary approach. Here also the progress made within high resolution and scale bridging characterization tools can play a major role. The field has attracted a diverse group of scientists and engineers especially in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and China, and combines ceramics, metals, metal-ceramic interfaces, processing, mechanisms of TBC performance and degradation including environmental attack and oxidation, thermal transport, diffusion and applications in a variety of aggressive environments.

Scope: The conference will address the multi-disciplinary nature of thermal barrier coatings and will attempt to bring together those who have expertise in specific aspects of the materials involved, processing with conventional and innovative methods, mechanics and chemistry of degradation, newer materials as alternatives to yttria-stabilized zirconia, high-temperature oxidation and corrosion including CMAS attack, thermal and radiative heat transport, diffusion, high temperature creep and sintering phenomena as well as engineering design. In addition, the interaction of the various layers with different substrates (Ni-, Co-, Ti-, Silicide-, CMC-based) that cover applications in aero- and land-based gas turbines, diesel engines, and rocket applications will be discussed.

Co-Chairs
Prof. Dr. Robert Vaßen (Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany)
Brian Hazel (Pratt & Whitney, USA)
Prof. Dr. Uwe Schulz (German Aerospace Center, Germany)
Dr. Michael J. Maloney (Pratt & Whitney, USA)
Dr. Ram Darolia (GE Aviation (Retired), USA)

Abstract Submission
One-page abstracts should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than the deadlines noted below. The abstract should include both the significance of the research as well as results that will be discussed to allow a scientific assessment of the work by the organizers. Please indicate if the abstract is for an oral or poster presentation. Only a limited number of oral presentation slots are available. Thus all submissions for oral presentations will be considered for both oral and poster.

Deadline for abstracts for oral presentations: Closed
Deadline for abstracts for poster presentations: May 1, 2018

All abstracts should be submitted electronically and submissions must follow the template provided at this link: https://ssl.linklings.net/conferences/TBC/

There will be a poster competition for the Best Student Poster and Best Overall Poster