Thermal barrier coating on metallic substrates by preceramic route                        !     " #$%&’’ ( ))*+, )+, )+, )+, Keywords:     , - , ,    A low cost, easily processable, multi layered functionally graded ceramic coating of thickness ~1000 µm was developed to protect metallic substrates from the risk of thermal oxidation. It consists of a four layered functionally graded coating consisting of aluminide layer followed by an intermediate zirconia as thermal insulative layer, an alumina layer serving as buffer layer with the outer most high emissivity layer to provide the required emissivity. All the layers were brush coated and the specimens were cured at 150°C. The solar absorptivity and emissivity of the coating was found to be 0.82 and 0.88 respectively. 15CDV6 plate of 150 x 150 x 5 mm was coated with multilayer thermal barrier coating of thickness ~ 1 mm. The coated sample was subjected to a heat flux of 8.5 W/cm 2 for 1035 secs to evaluate the thermo-responsive behaviour of the coating. Maximum back wall temperature measured was 299°C. The coating methodology is simple compared to complicated plasma techniques which can be applied on complex shaped substrates and all operations are carried out at low temperatures, below 150°C ensuring no deterioration of structural properties of the substrate.  Metallic material systems with potential for high temperature operations are critical for many land based and space based systems where high mechanical strength and extreme service temperatures are required. Metals exhibit high mechanical strength which makes it extremely attractive for high temperature structural applications for aircraft engines, hypersonic aerospace vehicles, automotive industry biomedical, refractory and thermonuclear fusion applications. But the oxidation of these materials under high pressure and temperature and the deterioration of mechanical properties limits their use. The inherent reactivity of these materials makes it necessary to design a complex system of inhibitors, sealants and coatings for its use at high temperature[1,2]. So there arises a need to develop light weight, high temperature resistant thermal barrier protective coatings for emerging high temperature metals/alloys. In recent years, multilayer protective coatings were designed which can reduce oxidation, increase emittance and reduce catalytic efficiency for recombination of dissociated species for the candidate materials. Ceramic thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are used to protect metallic surfaces from harsh combustion environments and extend the structure’s life time[3-6]. The coating systems must be designed with high temperature stability, lower thermal conductivity and improved thermal stress. Application of ceramic coatings derived from preceramic polymers will provide an economical solution to high temperature corrosion required by conventional composite coatings containing several functional phases. Thus it provides an effective means of improved performance Materials Science Forum Vol. 710 (2012) pp 786-791 © (2012) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.710.786 All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of TTP, www.ttp.net. (ID: 117.213.1.24-08/12/11,15:28:03)