Ceramic Heat Barrier Coating Contamination

Ceramic-coating contamination, it manifests as adherent residues from thermal barrier layers on engine components, forming through spallation and chemical interactions during high-heat operations, where ceramic particles dislodge and bond tenaciously with exhaust gases, influenced from prolonged exposure to combustion byproducts. This layer, it exhibits a distinctive patchy, iridescent structure with crystalline edges that resist flaking unlike soot or dissolving unlike oil residues, showing strong embedding on steel via porosity, moderate bonding on stainless steel enhanced by oxide layers, yet weaker attachment on titanium along grain boundaries. Removal challenges arise from its persistence against mechanical scraping or chemical agents without substrate damage, but laser cleaning proves effective, as pulsed energy selectively ablates the contamination through vaporization, targeting its optical absorption to restore surface smoothness.