Tensile strength of plasma-sprayed alumina and/or zirconia coatings on titanium

The heat treatment effect on the characteristics and tensile strength of plasma-sprayed alumina, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), and mixtures of alumina and YSZ coatings on titanium was investigated. The as-sprayed structures of alumina and YSZ coatings consists of a and y alumina phases, and cubic and tetragonal zirconia phases, respectively. The tensile strength of the coatings containing a large amount of YSZ is increased from 25 to 50 MPa by heat treatment at 800 °C. The 60% YSZ-AI₂O₃ coating showed the highest tensile strength. The tensile strength increase of the YSZ-containing coating by heat treatment is caused by formation of 10 to 100 nm wide microcracks. The interface adhesion strength between the heat-treated titanium substrate and the alumina-containing coating is increased by chemical reaction at the in-terface. Thus, a heat-treated alumina and zirconia mixture coating may be favorable in obtaining high tensile strength due to microcrack formation in the coating and the chemical reaction at the interface. During this work, S. Baba was a graduate student at Kyushu Institute of Technology, Sumitomo Metal Ind. Ltd., Osaka, Japan.