Thermal Barrier Coating Calculator

Krebs-Stormer viscosity doesn't scale linearly with true Brookfield-equivalent viscosity — the relationship curves more sharply at higher KU readings. This calculator uses the polynomial fit log10(cP) = 2.8452 + 0.01218×KU + 0.00007463×KU², which tracks the real curvature of the KU-to-cP relationship across the full 40–141 KU range more accurately than the simpler exponential approximation noted in the engine's comments, which is only accurate within about ±10% and only over the narrower 80–110 KU band.

No — it's a linear approximation, (8 − Hegman) × 12.5 µm, built from the fact that the Hegman gauge's 0–8 scale corresponds to a roughly 0–100 µm wedge depth. It gives you a reasonable estimate of the largest particles remaining in the dispersion, but the actual gauge measures where visible scratches first appear in the wedge, which isn't a perfectly linear function of particle size — treat the output as a quick cross-check, not a substitute for reading the gauge directly.

The opacity index in this calculator scales directly with both PVC and pigment density relative to a TiO₂-at-22%-PVC baseline, so on paper more pigment always raises the index. In practice, pushing PVC too high moves the formulation past its Critical PVC, introducing air voids that actually scatter light differently and can hurt film integrity and washability even while the raw pigment loading goes up — this calculator's opacity index doesn't account for that transition, so it's only a fair comparison between formulations that stay below their respective CPVC.

No. Viscosity conversion, Hegman particle size, and dry film density are three independent checks that happen to run on the same QC batch card, but none of their formulas depend on another section's inputs or outputs. You can fill in just the viscosity fields to check a KU reading against spec, for example, and ignore the PVC and Hegman fields entirely.