Coating 12
Coating 12 : International Activities: Although the lack of standards for the evaluation of coatings has not impeded the development of new materials for gas turbines, the increased emphasis on international trade may well cast standards in a new light. The greater interest in standards developed by national standards organizations is manifested for materials generally by activities conducted under the auspices of the Versailles Agreement on Materials and Standards that addresses prestandards research. Standards for coatings are addressed specifically by the Committee for European Normalization Technical Committee 184 for Advanced Technical Ceramics (Working Group 5-ceramic coatings). These standards generally correspond to the standards set by national standards organizations. Nations that do not participate in the development of these standards are placed in the unenviable position of having to provide test data according to procedures developed by competitors. Although this is not an insurmountable obstacle to overseas marketing, the early presence of domestic firms in the development of these standards allows the specific concerns of domestic firms to be accorded consideration and shape the standards finally adopted. Participation of U. S. firms in this activity is clearly important for the long-term well-being of the domestic turbine and coatings industries. The development of standards for analysis of coatings can have immediate, positive effects in providing data that are more useful to the turbine industry, but long-term changes that generally affect industry should also be considered. ISO 9000, an international standard for certification that manufacturers have implemented quality assurance procedures, is increasingly required for sales of products. One facet of this procedure is the identification of test and analysis procedures that ensure that products have specified properties. The availability of standards for coating evaluation provides well- accepted criteria for use in the certification procedure. Similarly, for many coating processes, reproducible deposition relies on the skill and judgment of equipment operators. Certification of these operators, similar to that required for welders, may be desirable in meeting the requirements of ISO 9000. This requirement has fostered the formation of the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program, which aims to develop industrywide quality accreditation procedures. The increased exchange of product data among manufacturers has encouraged the development of computer protocols for the exchange of materials information. This activity is conducted under the auspices of ISO Technical Committee 104, subcommittee 4, and is identified informally as STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model) and formally as ISO 10303. Completion of the program is expected by the year 2000. Although originally focused on the exchange of data for computer-aided design, a program is in place to allow the exchange of material data from producers to users (Rumble and Carpenter, 1992). In 1994, standards drafted by the committee for the description of materials properties were developed and are expected to be adopted as ISO standards. Application protocols for the exchange of data relative to specific industries are planned, with testing of polymers the likely first use. International commerce in turbine coatings could well be impacted by this data exchange methodology and warrants participation by the domestic turbine and coating manufacturers
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