NASA shows interest in 'Made in India' thermal paint tech
A Rajasthan-based researcher has caught the attention of a NASA scientist for developing a new thermal spray coating technology used for gas turbine engines in spacecrafts. According to SC Modi, the chairman of Jodhpur-based Metallizing Equipment Company (MEC), NASA scientist James Smialek wrote to Rajasthan's Dr. Satish Tailor after the latter's research was published in the journal Ceramics International and Thermal Spray Bulletin.
Dr. Tailor's research could cut thermal spray coating costs significantly
While working at Jodhpur-based MEC as chief scientist in research and development (R&D), Dr. Tailor developed the controlled segmented Yttria Stabilised Zirconia (YSZ)-Plasma sprayed coating technology. Dr. Tailor says that the new tech could reduce the cost of thermal spray coating by almost 50%. Dr. Tailor also added that he had shared his research with NASA scientist James Smialek.
Dr. Tailor's research in simple words
"In simple language, vertical cracks (segmentation) in the coating are beneficial for gas turbine engine application used in spacecraft. At present, researchers are developing such cracks through very expensive processes (in several crores)," said Dr. Tailor, explaining why cost cuts are needed.
Dr. Tailor is emerging to be a promising scientist
Dr. Tailor has a PhD in metallurgical engineering from the Malaviya Institute of Technology, Jaipur, with a specialization in plasma spray coatings. Currently, Dr. Tailor serves as the Editor-in-Chief for both the Journal of Materials Science and Surface Engineering and the Journal of Thermal Spray and Engineering. He is also a visiting young scientist at the National Institute of Science and Technology in Russia.
Leading Indian scientists congratulate Dr. Tailor
Scientists from India's leading research organizations like the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) also congratulated Dr. Tailor for his research. CSIR chief scientist Dr. RM Mohanty said that Dr. Tailor's research promised inexpensive solutions for superior thermal barrier coatings. Meanwhile, DRDO scientist Dr. RK Satpathy said that the inexpensive generation of vertical cracks held great promise.
