Abstract: Methods for repairing a thermal barrier coating deposited on a component with localized spallation of the thermal barrier coating includes depositing a primer slurry on a thermally grown oxide of the component exposed by the localized spallation, depositing a ceramic slurry on the primer slurry, and heating the primer slurry and the ceramic slurry. The primer slurry includes a primer that includes at least one of a metal and a metal oxide. The ceramic slurry includes a ceramic material, a ceramic slurry binder material, and a ceramic slurry fluid carrier. Heating the primer slurry and the ceramic slurry forms a first chemical bond between the primer and the thermally grown oxide and a second chemical bond between the primer and the ceramic material.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a tool having a first portion and a second portion that are separated by at least a first area of articulation. A first inertial measurement unit is affixed with respect to that first portion and a second inertial measurement unit is affixed with respect to that second portion. A control circuit operably couples to those inertial measurement units and receives corresponding information regarding those portions of the tool. The control circuit can then process that received information to generate positional proprioception information as regards those monitored tool portions. By one approach, the control circuit generates that positional proprioception information by first determining an absolute orientation of each of the tool portions independent of one another and then calculating a differential pose as a function of the determined absolute orientation of those tool portions.

Abstract: A servicing tool for a turbine engine and a method for using thereof are provided. A method includes inserting the tool into an access opening of the turbine engine, contacting a blade of the turbine engine, and removing material from the blade. The tool may comprise a wiper mount and a wiper, including a wiper surface, configured to contact and remove material from the blades. The tool may further comprise a body, an actuator, and fluid flowpaths for deploying the wiper and providing fluid locally to the blades of the turbine engine.

Abstract: A control system includes one or more processors configured to determine when to extend a life span of an engine by applying an additional restorative coating to the engine based on one or more monitored parameters of the engine. The monitored parameters include a condition of a previously applied restorative coating. The one or more processors are configured to determine the condition of the previously applied restorative coating based on an optical response of the previously applied restorative coating. The one or more processors also are configured to direct application of the additional restorative coating based on the one or more monitored parameters of the engine.

Abstract: A control system includes one or more processors configured to determine when to extend a life span of an engine by applying an additional restorative coating to the engine based on one or more monitored parameters of the engine. The monitored parameters include a condition of a previously applied restorative coating. The one or more processors are configured to determine the condition of the previously applied restorative coating based on an optical response of the previously applied restorative coating. The one or more processors also are configured to direct application of the additional restorative coating based on the one or more monitored parameters of the engine.