Thermal Failure of Nanostructured Thermal Barrier Coatings with Cold-Sprayed Nanostructured NiCrAlY Bond Coat

Nanostructured thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were deposited by plasma spraying using agglomerated nanostructured YSZ powder on Inconel 738 substrate with cold-sprayed nanostructured NiCrAlY powder as bond coat. The isothermal oxidation and thermal cycling tests were applied to examine failure modes of plasma-sprayed nanostructured TBCs. For comparison, the TBC consisting of conventional microstructure YSZ and conventional NiCrAlY bond coat was also deposited and subjected to the thermal shock test. The results showed that nanostructured YSZ coating contained two kinds of microstructures; nanosized zirconia particles embedded in the matrix and microcolumnar grain structures of zirconia similar to those of conventional YSZ. Although, after thermal cyclic test, a continuous, uniform thermally grown oxide (TGO) was formed, cracks were observed at the interface between TGO/BC or TGO/YSZ after thermal cyclic test. However, the failure of nanostructured and conventional TBCs mainly occurred through spalling of YSZ. Compared with conventional TBCs, nanostructured TBCs exhibited better thermal shock resistance.     

Thermal fatigue behavior of thermal barrier coatings with the MCrAlY bond coats by cold spraying and low-pressure plasma spraying

The thermal fatigue behavior of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with the NiCoCrAlTaY bond coats deposited by cold spraying and low-pressure plasma spraying (LPPS) was examined through thermal cyclic test. The TBCs were subjected to the pre-oxidation before the test in an Ar atmosphere. The results show that a more uniform TGO in both thickness and composition forms on the cold-sprayed bond coat than that deposited by LPPS. The TBCs with the cold-sprayed bond coat exhibit a longer thermal cyclic lifetime than that with the LPPS bond coat. The differences in oxidation behavior and thermal cyclic behavior between two TBCs were discussed based on the evident difference in the surface morphology of two MCrAlY bond coats deposited by cold spraying and LPPS.     

Structure and durability evaluation of YSZ + Al2O3 composite TBCs with APS and HVOF bond coats under thermal cycling conditions

Plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are applied to gas turbine components for providing thermal insulation and oxidation resistance. The TBC systems currently in use on superalloy substates typically consists of a metallic MCrAlY based bond coat and an insulating Y₂O₃ partially stabilized ZrO₂ as a ceramic top coat (ZrO₂ 7–8 wt.% Y₂O₃). The oxidation of bond coat underlying yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is a significant factor in controlling the failure of TBCs. The oxidation of bond coat induces to the formation of a thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer at the bond coat/YSZ interface. The thickening of the TGO layer increases the stresses and leads to the spallation of TBCs. If the TGO were composed of a continuous scale of Al₂O₃, it would act as a diffusion barrier to suppress the formation of other detrimental mixed oxides during the extended thermal exposure in service, thus helping to protect the substrate from further oxidation and improving the durability. The TBC layers are usually coated onto the superalloy substrate using the APS (Atmospheric plasma spray) process because of economic and practical considerations. As well as, HVOF (High velocity oxygen fuel) bond coat provides a good microstructure and better adhesion compared with the APS process. Therefore, there is a need to understand the cycling oxidation characteristic and failure mode in TBC systems having bond coat prepared using different processes. In the present investigation, the growth of TGO layers was studied to evaluate the cyclic oxidation behavior of YSZ/Al₂O₃ composite TBC systems with APS-NiCrAlY and HVOF-NiCrAlY bond coats. Interface morphology is significantly effective factor in occurrence of the oxide layer. Oxide layer thickening rate is slower in APS bond coated TBCs than HVOF bond coated systems under thermal cycle conditions at 1200 °C. The YSZ/Al₂O₃ particle composite systems with APS bond coat have a higher thermal cycle life time than with the HVOF bond coating.     

Reaction, transformation and delamination of samarium zirconate thermal barrier coatings

The rare earth zirconates have attracted interest for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) because they have very low intrinsic thermal conductivities, are stable above 1200 °C and are more resistant to sintering than yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). Samarium zirconate (SZO) has the lowest thermal conductivity of the rare earth zirconates and its pyrochore structure is stable to 2200 °C but little is known about its response to thermal cycling. Here, columnar morphology SZO coatings have been deposited on bond coated superalloy substrates using a directed vapor deposition method that facilitated the incorporation of pore volume fractions of 25 to 45%. The as-deposited coatings had a fluorite structure which transformed to the pyrochlore phase upon thermal cycling between 100 and 1100 °C. This cycling eventually led to delamination of the coatings, with failure occurring at the interface between the TGO and a “mixed zone” that formed between the thermally grown alumina oxide (TGO) and the SZO. While the delamination lifetime increased with coating porosity (reduction in coating modulus), it was significantly less than that of similar YSZ coatings applied to the same substrates. The reduced life resulted from a reaction between the rare earth zirconate and the alumina-rich bond coat TGO, leading to the formation of a mixed zone consisting of SZO and SmAlO₃. Thermal strain energy calculations show that the delamination driving force increases with TGO and mixed layer thicknesses and with coating modulus. The placement of a 10 μm thick YSZ layer between the TGO and SZO layers eliminated the mixed zone and restored the thermal cyclic life to that of YSZ structures.     

Improvement of thermally grown oxide layer in thermal barrier coating systems with nano alumina as third layer

A thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer is formed at the interface of bond coat/top coat. The TGO growth during thermal exposure in air plays an important role in the spallation of the ceramic layer from the bond coat. High temperature oxidation resistance of four types of atmospheric plasma sprayed TBCs was investigated. These coatings were oxidized at 1000 °C for 24, 48 and 120 h in a normal electric furnace under air atmosphere. Microstructural characterization showed that the growth of the TGO layer in nano NiCrAlY/YSZ/nano Al₂O₃ coating is much lower than in other coatings. Moreover, EDS and XRD analyses revealed the formation of Ni(Cr,Al)₂O₄ mixed oxides (as spinel) and NiO onto the Al₂O₃ (TGO) layer. The formation of detrimental mixed oxides (spinels) on the Al₂O₃(TGO) layer of nano NiCrAlY/YSZ/nano Al₂O₃ coating is much lower compared to that of other coatings after 120 h of high temperature oxidation at 1000 °C.     

Microstructural analysis of YSZ and YSZ/Al2O3 plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings after high temperature oxidation

Air plasma sprayed TBCs usually include lamellar structure with high interconnected porosities which transfer oxygen from YSZ layer towards bond coat and cause TGO growth and internal oxidation of bond coat.The growth of thermally grown oxide (TGO) at the interface of bond coat and ceramic layer and internal oxidation of bond coat are considered as the main destructive factors in thermal barrier coatings.Oxidation phenomena of two types of plasma sprayed TBC were evaluated: (a) usual YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia), (b) layer composite of (YSZ/Al₂O₃) which Al₂O₃ is as a top coat over YSZ coating. Oxidation tests were carried out on these coatings at 1100°C for 22, 42 and 100h. Microstructure studies by SEM demonstrated the growth of TGO underneath usual YSZ coating is higher than for YSZ/Al₂O₃ coating. Also cracking was observed in usual YSZ coating at the YSZ/bond coat interface. In addition severe internal oxidation of the bond coat occurred for usual YSZ coating and micro-XRD analysis revealed the formation of the oxides such as NiCr₂O₄, NiCrO₃ and NiCrO₄ which are accompanied with rapid volume increase, but internal oxidation of the bond coat for YSZ/Al₂O₃ coating was lower and the mentioned oxides were not detected.     

NiCoCrAlY粘结层喷涂工艺对8YSZ热障涂层抗氧化性能的影响

目的 提高热障涂层粘结层的抗高温氧化性能。方法 分别采用爆炸喷涂和等离子喷涂工艺制备了不同结构的NiCoCrAlY粘结层,之后通过等离子喷涂制备8YSZ陶瓷层,分析了两种粘结层结构的热障涂层的抗高温氧化性能。利用XRD、SEM和EDS对涂层物相、微观结构和成分进行分析,并对其与基体结合状态、抗高温氧化性能进行研究。结果 爆炸喷涂粘结层内部组织致密,缺陷较少,与基体结合处孔隙少;而等离子喷涂粘结层内部的层状特征明显,孔隙较多,表面粗糙度较低。爆炸喷涂粘结层氧化5 h后,表面生成了一层富Al2O3的致密氧化物膜;而等离子喷涂粘结层表面形成了富NiO、CoO、Cr2O3和Ni(Cr,Al)2O4的氧化物层,并出现了许多微裂纹和片层状氧化物。爆炸喷涂制备的热障涂层试样在前5 h氧化增重速率高于等离子喷涂试样,随后变平缓,而等离子喷涂试样氧化速率依然较高。爆炸喷涂热障涂层的热生长氧化物层（Thermally grown oxide, TGO）经50 h氧化后,仍呈连续状,厚度均匀,粘结层内氧化物缺陷较少。结论 爆炸喷涂粘结层组织均匀、致密,喷涂时涂层的氧化以及热处理的内氧化较少,使得足够的Al较快速地在粘结层表面形成致密的氧化铝,表面一定厚度的氧化铝层抑制了氧和其他金属原子的相向扩散反应,提高了涂层的抗高温氧化性能。     

Thermally grown oxide growth behavior and spallation lives of solution precursor plasma spray thermal barrier coatings

The effects of thermally grown oxide (TGO) growth rate and bond coat oxidation behavior on the spallation lives of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been investigated. Yttria partially stabilized zirconia (7YSZ) coatings have been applied to various bond coat/superalloy substrate combinations using the Solution Precursor Plasma Spray (SPPS) process. The coatings have been furnace thermal cycled at 1121 °C, using one hour cycles. A large variation in the spallation lives, from 125 to 1230 cycles, has been observed and are attributed to (a) the spatially averaged TGO growth rate, (b) the maximum localized TGO thickness, (c) the formation of non-alumina oxides with weak interfaces, and (d) the formation of yttrium aluminate stringers in low pressure plasma spray (LPPS) processed bond coat. Of these four factors, the average TGO thickness is the most important. Surprisingly vacuum plasma sprayed bond coated samples consistently had shorter cyclic live compared to air plasma sprayed bond coated samples.     

Thermal cycling failure of new LaMgAl11O19/YSZ double ceramic top coat thermal barrier coating systems

New LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉ (LaMA)/YSZ double ceramic top coat thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with the potential application in advanced gas-turbines and diesel engines to realize improved efficiency and durability were prepared by plasma spraying, and their thermal cycling failure were investigated. The microstructure evolutions as well as the crystal chemistry characteristics of LaMA coating which seemed to have strong influences on the thermal cycling failure of LaMA and the new double ceramic top coat TBCs based on LaMA/YSZ system were studied. For double ceramic top coat TBC system, interface modification of LaMA/YSZ by preparing thin composite coatings seemed to be more preferred due to the formations of multiple cracks during thermal cycling making the TBC to be more strain tolerant and as well as resulting in an improved thermal cycling property. The effects of the TGO stresses on the failure behavior of the TBCs were discussed through fluorescence piezo-spectroscopy analysis.     

Surface Modification of Thermal Barrier Coatings by Single-Shot Defocused Laser Treatments

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) consisting of atmospheric plasma-sprayed ZrO₂-8 wt.% Y₂O₃ and a high velocity oxygen fuel-sprayed metallic bond coat were subjected to CO₂ continuous wave laser treatments. The effects of laser power on TBCs were investigated as was the thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer development of all as-sprayed and laser-treated coatings after thermal oxidation tests in air environment for 50, 100, and 200 h at 1100 °C. The effects of laser power on TBCs were investigated. TGO layer development was examined on all as-sprayed and laser-treated coatings after thermal oxidation tests in air environment for 50, 100, and 200 h at 1100 °C. Melted and heat-affected zone regions were observed in all the laser-treated samples. Oxidation tests showed a stable alumina layer and mixed spinel oxides in the TGO layers of the as-sprayed and laser-treated TBCs.     

The Protectiveness of Thermally Grown Oxides on Cold Sprayed CoNiCrAlY Bond Coat in Thermal Barrier Coating

This paper presents the results of an oxidation behavior study for a thermal barrier coating (TBC) with air plasma sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia top coat and CoNiCrAlY bond coat deposited using low pressure plasma spray (LPPS) and cold spray (CS). The TBC is subjected to isothermal oxidation and creep tests at 900?°C and evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The thermally grown oxide (TGO) developed in the TBC with the LPPS bond coat was composed of only ??-Al₂O₃ and the TGO developed in the TBC with a CS bond coat is composed of ??-Al₂O₃ and ??-Al₂O₃. Despite the presence of this metastable ?? phase, the TGO in the CS specimens exhibits a dense microstructure and lower amounts of mixed oxides. The correlation between ??-Al₂O₃ and the formation of mixed oxides was investigated through the measurement of ??-Al₂O₃ thickness ratio and mixed oxides coverage ratio. It was found that the mixed oxides coverage ratio is inversely proportional to the ??-Al₂O₃ thickness ratio.     

等离子喷涂热障涂层的热循环氧化行为研究

本文采用大气等离子喷涂在HA188合金基材上制备NiCrAlY+YSZ热障涂层，并进行了1100 oC、1120 oC和1150 oC三个温度点的高温循环氧化行为对比研究。结果表明，随着考核温度的升高，热障涂层热循环失效寿命显著下降，失效主要是由YSZ/NiCrAlY界面附近YSZ 层中裂纹形成和扩展导致。循环失效后的YSZ与制备态的相结构一样，均为非平衡四方相t"-ZrO2，未发生t"→c+m相变。在热循环过程中，YSZ/NiCrAlY界面形成的热生长氧化物层（Thermally Grown Oxide, TGO）增厚基本符合“抛物线”规律，并且YSZ中裂纹的产生和扩展与TGO的增厚直接相关。     

粘结层预处理对PS-PVD沉积7YSZ热障涂层氧化行为的影响

目的提高PS-PVD沉积7YSZ热障涂层的抗高温氧化性能。方法采用等离子喷涂-物理气相沉积(PS-PVD)分别在未预处理和预处理(抛光+预氧化)的粘结层表面制备了柱状结构7YSZ热障涂层,并在大气环境下测试了柱状结构7YSZ热障涂层的950℃静态高温氧化性能。利用扫描电子显微镜、X射线衍射仪、能谱仪对高温氧化过程中的陶瓷层/粘结层界面形貌、TGO层结构演变进行表征。结果粘结层的抛光处理能够降低表面几何受力不均匀部位,抑制陶瓷层/TGO/粘结层界面处微裂纹的产生,同时粘结层的预氧化处理形成的薄而连续的TGO层能有效降低TGO的生长速度,抑制陶瓷层-粘结层之间的元素互扩散。柱状结构7YSZ涂层的高温氧化动力学曲线符合Wagner抛物线规律,粘结层未预处理和预处理的7YSZ热障涂层的氧化速率常数分别为0.101×10~(-12) cm~2/s和0.115×10~(-13) cm~2/s。结论粘结层预处理能有效改善等离子物理气相沉积7YSZ热障涂层的抗氧化性能。     

Thermal Cycling Behavior of Thermal Barrier Coatings with HVOF NiCrAlY Bond Coat

Thermal Barrier Coatings with HVOF NiCrAlY Bond Coat is prepared on nickel-based superalloy substrates. The lifetime of the coating is about 1630 h for 1-h cycle at 1050 °C. Growth of the TGO (thermally grown oxide) approximately follows a parabolic kinetics, and the TGO presents a bi-layered structure. Failure of the coating occurs near the interface between the mixed oxides layer of TGO and top coat. A finite element method is employed to analyze the stress distribution in the coating. The results show that maximum stresses occur at the top coat/TGO interface near the edge of the coating. The maximum radial stress for TGO consisting of spinel and Al₂O₃ is about five times larger than that of Al₂O₃, while the maximum axial stress is about ten times larger. The mixed oxide layer of TGO plays an important role in the premature failure of TBCs.     

The influence of coating compliance on the delamination of thermal barrier coatings

Low relative density yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings have been deposited on NiCoCrAlY over-lay bond-coated Hastelloy-X substrates by an electron beam-directed vapor deposition (EB-DVD) method. The coatings have been applied to both roughened and smooth bond coat surfaces. During thermal cycling, those deposited on roughened surfaces spalled by delamination with the failure located in the YSZ layer close to the thermally-grown oxide (TGO). The cracks were initiated at “corn kernel” defects in the YSZ layer by a bond coat rumpling mechanism. Coatings applied to smooth bond coat surfaces had much longer (factor of two) spallation lifetimes and delamination occurred at the bond coat/TGO interface by the nucleation and coalescence of interfacial voids. In both cases, the delamination lifetime decreased with coating density and significantly exceeded the lifetimes of higher density coatings made by conventional electron beam deposition methods. The enhanced life of the more porous coatings is consistent with an increased compliance. This reduces the YSZ layers stored strain energy contribution to the driving force for interface delamination.     

Evolution of stress and morphology in thermal barrier coatings

Residual stress in the thermally grown oxide (TGO) in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) was measured by photoluminescence piezospectroscopy (PLPS) and stress maps created to track local stress changes as a function of thermal cycling. The local stress images were observed to be correlated with morphological features on the metal surface that were purposely introduced during specimen preparation. Local stress relaxation and morphological evolution with thermal cycling were studied using the stress maps combined by post-mortem SEM examination. It was found that the morphology in the specimen having an initial polished surface was quite stable, while that in the specimen with a rough surface was unstable. The average residual stress in the specimen with the unstable morphology decreased with thermal cycling and it eventually failed along TGO/YSZ interface. The specimen with stable morphology maintained a high TGO stress throughout the thermal cycling process and failed along TGO/bond coat interface. The rough surface was also found to give rise to the formation of transition alumina (θ-Al₂O₃) in the TGO which was correlated with a reduced TGO stress.     

Failure mechanism of EB-PVD thermal barrier coatings on NiAl substrate

Yttria stabilized zirconia（YSZ） was deposited on the line cut β-NiAl substrate by electron-beam physical vapour deposition（EB-PVD）, and the cyclic oxidation behaviors of thermal barrier coatings on β-NiAl substrate were investigated in 1 h thermal cycles at 1 200 ℃ in air. The results show that the samples fail after 80-100 cycles. Sub-interface cavitations in the substrate develop due to depletion of Al in forming thermally grown oxides（TGOs）. The collapse and closing up of cavities result in the ragged YSZ/TGO/substrate interface. Since the specific crack trajectories are quite sensitive to local geometry, cracks along the YSZ/TGO/substrate interfaces ultimately lead to YSZ spallation.     

Development of refractory silicate-yttria-stabilized zirconia dual-layer thermal barrier coatings

Development of advanced thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is the most promising approach for increasing the efficiency and performance of gas turbine engines by enhancing the temperature capability of hot section metallic components. Spallation of the yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat, induced by the oxidation of the bond coat coupled with the thermal expansion mismatch strain, is considered to be the ultimate failure mode for current state-of-the-art TBCs. Enhanced oxidation resistance of TBCs can be achieved by reducing the oxygen conductance of TBCs below that of thermally grown oxide (TGO) alumina scale. One approach is incorporating an oxygen barrier having an oxygen conductance lower than that of alumina scale. Mullite, rare earth silicates, and glass ceramics have been selected as potential candidates for the oxygen barrier. This paper presents the results of cyclic oxidation studies of oxygen barrier/YSZ dual-layer TBCs.     

Evolution of Residual Stresses in PS-PVD Thermal Barrier Coatings on Thermal Cycling

Plasma spray-physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD) is an advanced technique to fabricate quasi-columnar structured thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with excellent thermal cyclic lifetime. In this study, PS-PVD TBCs were investigated via burner rig test. The residual stresses in both of the topcoat layer and the thermally grown oxide (TGO) scale were measured non-destructively using Raman spectroscopy and Cr³⁺ photoluminescence piezo-spectroscopy, respectively. Evolution of the microstructures and distribution of residual stresses in such kind structured TBCs before and after thermal cycling test were investigated. The accumulated tensile stress in the as-sprayed ceramic topcoat changed to compressive state after 100 cycles and then gradually increased. In addition, the mapping compressive stresses in the TGO measured through the ceramic topcoat surface decreased rapidly and then essentially maintained at a relatively stable state with further testing. Moreover, the pre-heating of the bondcoat could significantly affect the stress distribution in the TGO, in contrast, no obviously influence on the stresses in the YSZ topcoat.