Volcanic ash versus thermal barrier coatings of jet engines – a holistic experimental approach

Since the heavy interruption of North Atlantic air traffic by volcanic ash in 2010 many experimental investigations have been done in order to better understand the influence of volcanic ash on the functionality of jet engines and in particular thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on turbine blades within them. Some of these studies used natural volcanic ash while others used a synthetic mixture from the Calcium-Magnesium-Aluminum-Silicon system (CMAS). To this day, a holistic experimental investigation on TBCs, using various natural volcanic ashes, is missing. In the framework of the CORNET research project VAsCo (“Volcanic Ash resistant thermal barrier Coatings for jet engines” – www.vasco-cornet.eu), we are going to close this gap. We use four different volcanic ashes, which represent the chemical range of possibly produced ash by explosive volcanic eruptions. As TBCs, atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) and electron-beam physical vapor deposited (EBPVD) coatings of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and gadolinium zirconate (GZO) were chosen as state-of-the-art materials for first experiments. While YSZ EB-PVD coatings are prone to be fully infiltrated by molten silicates, GZO exhibits a higher resistivity against the infiltration through a rapid re-crystallization of the dissolved coating, thus closing the pathways of infiltration. This contrasting behavior of both materials makes them good candidates to study the influence of different chemical and mineralogical compositions of various volcanic ashes. The experiments are based on static and dynamic experiments: Static experiments include measurements with the heating microscope, to study the wetting and spreading of the molten ash sample on the TBC surface, and muffle furnace experiments with ash covered TBCs to study their chemical interactions. For dynamic experiments we thermally spray the ash on the TBC surfaces in order to simulate real conditions within the combuster/turbine section of a jet engine. Findings are used to modify TBCs and to improve their resistivity against molten volcanic ash. In addition to that, a feasibility study will be conducted in order to create a model synthetic volcanic ash for standard tests in the aviation industry

A Geoscientific Perspective on Silicate Melt Interactions with TBCs

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Kardia Mobile applicability in clinical practice: A comparison of Kardia Mobile and standard 12-lead electrocardiogram records in 100 consecutive patients of a tertiary cardiovascular care center

Background: Mobile devices are gaining a rising number of users in all countries around the globe. Novel solutions to diagnose patients with out-of-hospital onset of arrhythmic symptoms can be easily used to record such events, but the effectiveness of these devices remain unknown.Methods: In a group of 100 consecutive patients of an academic cardiology care center (mean age 68 ± 14.2 years, males: 66%) a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and a Kardia Mobile (KM) record were registered. Both versions were assessed by three independant groups of physicians.Results: The analysis of comparisons for standard ECG and KM records showed that the latter is of lower quality (p < 0.001). It was non-inferior for detection of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, showed weaker rhythm detection in pacemaker stimulation (p = 0.008), and was superior in sinus rhythm detection (p = 0.02), though. The sensitivity of KM to detect pathological Q-wave was low compared to specificity (20.6% vs. 93.7%, respectively, p < 0.001). Basic intervals measured by the KM device, namely PQ, RR, and QT were significantly different (shorter) than those observed in the standard ECG method (160 ms vs. 180 ms [p < 0.001], 853 ms vs. 880 ms [p = 0.03] and 393 ms vs. 400 ms[p < 0.001], respectively).Conclusions: Initial and indicative value of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter detection in KM is comparable to results achieved in standard ECG. KM was superior in detection of sinus rhythm than eye-ball evaluation of 12-lead ECG. Though, the PQ and QT intervals were shorter in KM as compared to 12-lead ECG. Clinical value needs to be verified in large studies, though