Abstract
Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are widely used to insulate the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines to improve their performance efficiency, reduce pollution, and protect the metals from high temperature oxidation. In this work, a TBC coating composition of 80% zirconium oxide and 20% gadolinium oxide (GdPSZ) was prepared in the laboratory and plasma spray coated on the combustion chamber of single-cylinder diesel engines. An engine performance test was conducted for both the baseline (uncoated) engines and the coated engines. The coatings in the combustion chamber of the engines were found to be well adhered after 300 hours of rigorous testing. A significant reduction in smoke density was observed, especially at higher loads, for the coated engines. However, the coated engines exhibited a 2-6% reduction in volumetric efficiency and an increase in brake-specific fuel consumption compared to the uncoated engines. The results for other performance parameters are also discussed.
