Use of Functionally Graded Material to Decrease Maximum Temperature of a Coating–Substrate System

A mathematical model for determining the temperature distribution in the system consisting of a coating deposited on the surface of substrate was proposed. The foundation material is homogeneous, while the coating is made of a functionally gradient material (FGM) with thermal conductivity increasing exponentially along the thickness. Heating processes of the outer surface of the coating were considered with a constant and linearly decreasing in time intensity of the heat flux. Such thermal loads are common in thermal problems of friction, particularly regarding frictional heating during braking. An exact (in quadrature) solution of the corresponding boundary-value problems of parabolic heat conduction was obtained. Asymptotic solutions to these problems were also found for small and large values of the Fourier number. Calculations were performed for a coating made of two-component FGM ZrO2-Ti-6Al-4V, applied on a cast iron substrate. In order to explain the effect of FGM on temperature, corresponding analysis was carried out for the coating made of a homogeneous (ZrO2) material.