Thermal modeling of various thermal barrier coatings in a high heat flux rocket engine

One- and two-dimensional thermal models were developed to predict the thermal response of tubes with and without thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) tested for short durations in a H₂/O₂ rocket engine. Temperatures were predicted using median thermophysical property data for traditional air plasma sprayed ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ TBCs, as well as air plasma sprayed and low pressure plasma sprayed ZrO₂–Y₂O₃/NiCrAlY cermet coatings. Good agreement was observed between predicted and measured metal temperatures. It was also shown that the variation in the reported values of the thermal conductivity of plasma sprayed ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ coatings can result in temperature differences of up to 180°C at the ceramic/metal interface. In contrast, accounting for the presence of the bond coat or radiation from the ceramic layer had only a small effect on substrate temperatures (<20°C). The thermal models were also used to show that for the short duration test conditions of this study, a 100 μm thick ZrO₂–Y₂O₃ coating would provide a metal temperature benefit of approximately 300°C over an uncoated tube while a 200 μm thick coating would provide a benefit greater than 500°C. The difference in the thermal response between tubes and rods was also predicted and used to explain the previously-observed increased life of TBCs on rods over that on tubes.     

Oxidation and Degradation of EB–PVD Thermal–Barrier Coatings

Thermal–barrier coatings (TBCs) consist of a magnetron-sputtered Ni–30Cr–12Al–0.3Y (wt.%) bond coat to protect the substrate superalloy from oxidation/hot corrosion and an electron-beam physical-vapor deposited (EB–PVD) 7 wt.% yttria partially stabilized zirconia (YPSZ) top coat. The thermal cyclic life of the TBC system was assessed by furnace cycling at 1050°C. The oxidation kinetics were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at 900, 1000, and 1100°C for up to 100 hr. The results showed that the weight gain of the specimens at 1100°C was the smallest in the initial 20 hr, and the oxide scale formed on the sputtered Ni–Cr–Al–Y bond coat is only Al₂O₃ at the early stage of oxidation. With aluminum depletion in the bond coat, NiO, Ni(Cr,Al)₂O₄, and other spinel formed near the bond coat. During thermal cycling, microcracks were initiated preferentially in the YPSZ top coat along columnar grain boundaries and then extended through and along the top coat. The growth stress of TGO added to the thermal stress imposed by cycling, lead to the separation at the bond coat–TGO interface. The ceramic top coat spalled with the oxide scale still adhering to the YPSZ after specimens had been cycled at 1050°C for 300 cycles. The failure mode of the EB–PVD ZrO₂–7 wt.% Y₂O₃ sputtered Ni–Cr–Al–Y thermal-barrier coating was spallation at the bond coat–TGO interface.     

Formation and behavior of thermal barrier coatings on nickel-base superalloys

Plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been used to extend the life of combustors. Electron beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) ceramic coating has been developed for more demanding rotating as well as stationary turbine components. Here 3 kW RF magnetron sputtering equipment was used to gain zirconia ceramic coatings on hollow turbine blades and vanes, which had been deposited NiCrAIY by cathodic arc deposition. NiCrAlY coating surface was treated by shot peening; the effects of shot peening on the residual stress are presented. The results show that RF sputtered TBCs are columnar ceramics, strongly bonded to metal substrates. NiCrAlY bond coat is made of β, γ‘ and Cr phases, ZrO2 ceramic layer consists of t‘ and c phases. No degradation occurs to RF ceramic coatings after 100 h high temperature oxidation at 1150℃ and 500 thermal cycles at 1150℃ for 2 min, air-cooling.     

Microstructural features and properties of plasma sprayed YPSZ/NiCrAlY thermal barrier coating (TBC)

0　IntroductionThermalbarriercoatings(TBCs)arewidelyusedontheturbinebladesforaircraftpropulsionorpowergenerationtoreducethemetallicsubstratetemperature,whichleadstoincreasingengineefficiencyandloweringpollutantemissionsresultingfromallowableincreaseofoperationtemperature[1,2].Today,TBCsareattractingmoreattentionandhavewiderpotentialapplicationstoprotecthightemperaturecomponents.However,thermalbarriercoatingshaveatendencytocrackandspallinserviceduetothermalshockandthermalcyclingbetweenambient…     

Thermal Fatigue Behavior of Thick and Porous Thermal Barrier Coatings Systems

High-temperature thermal fatigue causes the failure of thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems. This paper addresses the development of thick TBCs, focusing on the microstructure and the porosity of the yttria partially stabilized zirconia (YPSZ) coating, regarding its resistance to thermal fatigue. Thick TBCs, with different porosity levels, were produced by means of a CoNiCrAlY bond coat and YPSZ top coat, both had been sprayed by air plasma spray. The thermal fatigue resistance of new TBC systems and the evolution of the coatings before and after thermal cycling was then evaluated. The limit of thermal fatigue resistance increases depending on the amount of porosity in the top coat. Raman analysis shows that the compressive in-plane stress increases in the TBC systems after thermal cycling, nevertheless the increasing rate has a trend which is contrary to the porosity level of top coat. This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the 2007 International Thermal Spray Conference and has been expanded from the original presentation. It is simultaneously published in Global Coating Solutions, Proceedings of the 2007 International Thermal Spray Conference, Beijing, China, May 14-16, 2007, Basil R. Marple, Margaret M. Hyland, Yuk-Chiu Lau, Chang-Jiu Li, Rogerio S. Lima, and Ghislain Montavon, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2007.     

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.     

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.     

Study of microstructure and thermal shock behavior of two types of thermal barrier coatings

Gas turbines provide one of the most severe environments challenging material systems nowadays. Only an appropriate coating system can supply protection particularly for turbine blades. This study was made by comparison of properties of two different types of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in order to improve the surface characteristics of high temperature components. These TBCs consisted of a duplex TBC and a five layered functionally graded TBC. In duplex TBCs, 0.35 mm thick yittria partially stabilized zirconia top coat (YSZ) was deposited by air plasma spraying and ～0.15 mm thick NiCrAlY bond coat was deposited by high velocity oxyfuel spraying. ～0.5 mm thick functionally graded TBC was sprayed by varying the feeding ratio of YSZ/NiCrAlY powders. Both coatings were deposited on IN 738LC alloy as a substrate. Microstructural characterization was performed by SEM and optical microscopy whereas phase analysis and chemical composition changes of the coatings and oxides formed during the tests were studied by XRD and EDX. The performance of the coatings fabricated with the optimum processing conditions was evaluated as a function of intense thermal cycling test at 1100 °C. During thermal shock test, FGM coating failed after 150 and duplex coating failed after 85 cycles. The adhesion strength of the coatings to the substrate was also measured. Finally, it is found that FGM coating has a larger lifetime than the duplex TBC, especially with regard to the adhesion strength of the coatings.     

Adhesion improvements of Thermal Barrier Coatings with HVOF thermally sprayed bond coats

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are an effective engineering solution for the improvement of in service performance of gas turbines and diesel engine components. The quality and further performance of TBC, likewise all thermally sprayed coatings or any other kind of coating, is strongly dependent on the adhesion between the coating and the substrate as well as the adhesion (or cohesion) between the metallic bond coat and the ceramic top coat layer. The debonding of the ceramic layer or of the bond coat layer will lead to the collapse of the overall thermal barrier system. Though several possible problems can occur in coating application as residual stresses, local or net defects (like pores and cracks), one could say that a satisfactory adhesion is the first and intrinsic need for a good coating. The coating adhesion is also dependent on the pair substrate-coating materials, substrate cleaning and blasting, coating application process, coating application parameters and environmental conditions. In this work, the general characteristics and adhesion properties of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) having bond coats applied using High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying and plasma sprayed ceramic top coats are studied. By using HVOF technique to apply the bond coats, high adherence and high corrosion resistance are expected. Furthermore, due to the characteristics of the spraying process, compressive stresses should be induced to the substrate. The compressive stresses are opposed to the tensile stresses that are typical of coatings applied by plasma spraying and eventually cause delamination of the coating in operational conditions. The evaluation of properties includes the studies of morphology, microstructure, microhardness and adhesive/cohesive resistance. From the obtained results it can be said that the main failure location is in the bond coat/ceramic interface corresponding to the lowest adhesion values.     

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。     

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.     

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.     

Investigation of interfacial properties of atmospheric plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings with four-point bending and computed tomography technique

A modified four-point bending test has been employed to investigate the interfacial toughness of atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) after isothermal heat treatments at 1150 °C. The delamination of the TBCs occurred mainly within the TBC, several to tens of microns above the interface between the TBC and bond coat. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the TBC was mainly tetragonal in structure with a small amount of the monoclinic phase. The calculated energy release rate increased from ~ 50 J/m^− 2 for as-sprayed TBCs to ~ 120 J/m^− 2 for the TBCs exposed at 1150 °C for 200 h with a loading phase angle about 42°. This may be attributed to the sintering of the TBC. X-ray micro-tomography was used to track in 3D the evolution of the TBC microstructure non-destructively at a single location as a function of thermal exposure time. This revealed how various types of imperfections develop near the interface after exposure. The 3D interface was reconstructed and showed no significant change in the interfacial roughness after thermal exposure.     

An experimental investigation on thermo-mechanical buckling delamination failure characteristic of air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings

The primary intention of this work is to investigate the thermo-mechanical buckling delamination failure characteristic of air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) under compression tests at high temperature. The TBCs samples with a pre-delamination were firstly designed and they had been successfully prepared by air plasma sprayed technique. The main novelty of this paper is that the first work to validate and obtain three kinds of the interface failure forms in TBCs system during compression tests, i.e. buckling delamination, edge delamination and global buckling failure. The effects of the initial delamination length, temperature gradient and applied mechanical load on the delamination resistance of the TBCs system were discussed in detail. It is difficult to observe buckling delamination or edge delamination failure phenomena until the initial delamination length in TBCs reaches or exceeds 4 mm or more. For edge delamination failure, the interface fracture toughness (Γ_i^II), energy release rate (G_ss^edge) and stress intensity factor (K_II) between the TBC/TGO interface were 35 J m^− 2, 38.8 J m^− 2 and 0.97 MPa at high temperature gradient, respectively. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), it was inferred that the delamination fracture located within the ceramic coating close to the TBC/TGO interface. The results agree well with other experimental and theoretical results.     

Effects of defects on the thermal fatigue behavior of detonation-gun sprayed thermal barrier coatings

The effects of coating defects, such as pores and cracks, on the thermal fatigue behavior of zirconia based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been investigated. Duplex TBCs, which are composed of an 8 wt.% Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) layer on top of a NiCrAlY bond layer were produced by detonation gun spraying. Thermal fatigue tests were conducted on three different TBC specimens, the YSZ layers of which were varied in terms of porosity and crack morphology, and failure analyses were subsequently carried out on the tested specimens. From these results, the roles of the defects on the thermal and mechanical degradation behavior of the TBCs were investigated.     

Microstructural evolution of CoCrAlY bond coat on Ni-based superalloy DZ 125 at 1050 °C

CoCrAlY alloy has been widely used as metallic protective coatings or the bond coats in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to protect the underlying superalloy from oxidation and hot-corrosion. In this paper, the TBC consisting of yttria stabilized zirconia (7YSZ) ceramic top coat and CoCrAlY bond coat was deposited onto directionally solidified nickel based superalloy DZ 125 by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). The microstructural evolution of the bond coat on this superalloy was investigated after thermal exposure for 100 h at 1050 °C. Due to a significant inward diffusion of Al, Co and Cr from the coating and outward diffusion of Ni, Hf, W and Ti from the substrate, the phase transformation from the Co-based Al-rich β-CoAl phase to the Al-deficient γ-CoNi solid solution phase occurred in the bond coat. Simultaneously, a large amount of Ni-based β-NiCoAl phase was present in the bond coat. In addition, the particles containing substrate strengthening elements Hf and/or W are abundant in the thermally grown oxides (TGO) and within the bond coat. The mechanism for the microstructural evolution is discussed.     

Hot corrosion behaviour of plasma sprayed YSZ/Al2O3 dispersed NiCrAlY coatings on Inconel-718 superalloy

Oxide dispersed NiCrAlY bond coatings have been developed for enhancing thermal life cycles of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). However, the role of dispersed oxides on high temperature corrosion, in particular hot corrosion, has not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, the present study aims to improve the understanding of the effect of YSZ dispersion on the hot corrosion behaviour of NiCrAlY bond coat. For this, NiCrAlY, NiCrAlY + 25 wt.% YSZ, NiCrAlY + 50 wt.% YSZ and NiCrAlY + 75 wt.% YSZ were deposited onto Inconel-718 using the air plasma spraying (APS) process. Hot corrosion studies were conducted at 800 °C on these coatings after covering them with a 1:1 weight ratio of Na₂SO₄ and V₂O₅ salt film. Hot corrosion kinetics were determined by measuring the weight gain of the specimens at regular intervals for a duration of 51 h. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques were used to determine the nature of phases formed, examine the surface attack and to carry out microanalysis of the hot corroded coatings respectively. The results show that YSZ dispersion causes enhanced hot corrosion of the NiCrAlY coating. Leaching of yttria leads not only to the formation of the YVO₄ phase but also the destabilization of the YSZ by hot corrosion. For the sake of comparison, the hot corrosion behaviour of a NiCrAlY + 25 wt.% Al₂O₃ coating was also examined. The study shows that the alumina dispersed NiCrAlY bond coat offers better hot corrosion resistance than the YSZ dispersed NiCrAlY bond coat, although it is also inferior compared to the plain NiCrAlY bond coat.     

THE INFLUENCE OF Mo DIFFUSION ON THE THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF TBCs ON Ni_3Al BASED ALLOY IC-6

Conventional two-layered structure thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were prepared onto γ'-Ni3Al based alloy IC-6 by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). Isothermal oxidation and thermal cycling tests were carried out to investigate the effect of Mo content at the interface between bond coat and ceramic top coat caused by diffusion. It has been found that the alloy coated with TBCs presented the lowest oxidation weight gain value for the reason that the ceramic top coat in TBC system can effectively stop Mo oxides evaporating. The life time of TBCs has close relation with Mo content at the interface between the bond coat and top coat. Spaliation of ceramic top coat occurred during thermal cyclic testing when Mo atoms accumulated at the interface up to certain amount to decline the combination between the bond coat and top coat.     

Thermal barrier coating experience in gas turbine engines at Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney has accumulated more than three decades of experience with thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). These coatings were originally developed to reduce surface temperatures of combustors of JT8D gas turbine engines to increase the thermal fatigue life of the components. Continual improvements in de-sign, processing, and properties of TBCs have extended their applications to other turbine components, such as vanes, vane platforms, and blades, with attendant increases in performance and component du-rability. Plasma-spray-based generation I (Gen I) combustor TBCs with 7 wt % yttria partially stabilized zirconia deposited by air plasma spray (APS) on an APS NiCoCrAlY bond coat continues to perform ex-tremely well in all product line engines. Durability of this TBC has been further improved in Gen II TBCs for vanes by incorporating low-pressure chamber plasma-sprayed NiCoCrAl Y as a bond coat. The modi-fication has improved TBC durability by a factor of 2.5 and altered the failure mode from a “black fail-ure” within the bond coat to a “white failure” within the ceramic. Further improvements have been accomplished by instituting a more strain-tolerant ceramic top layer with electron beam/physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) processing. This Gen III TBC has demonstrated exceptional performance on rotating airfoils in high-thrust-rated engines, improving blade durability by three times through elimination of blade creep, fracture, and rumpling of metallic coatings used for oxi-dation protection of the airfoil surfaces. A TBC durability model for plasma-sprayed as well as EB-PVD systems is proposed that involves the accumulation of compressive stresses during cyclic thermal expo-sure. The model attempts to correlate failure of the various TBCs with elements of their structure and its degradation with thermocyclic exposure.     

The Oxidation and Interdiffusion of a Chromia Forming Multilayered TBC System

Current thermal barrier coating systems (TBCs) rely on an alumina-forming bond coat to provide protection against oxidation. At bond coat temperatures below 900 °C, however, optimum protection against oxidation and hot corrosion is best achieved by a chromia layer. TBC systems using this approach are currently being developed and an example is examined in this paper. The multilayered bond coat in the present TBC system consisted of: a NiCrAlY layer aluminised at its surface; a 50:50 NiCr layer (containing 1.8 wt% Si); an air plasma sprayed yttria stabilised zirconia top coat. These samples were oxidised in laboratory air at 750, 800 and 850 °C for durations up to 1,000 h. Post-test characterisation was undertaken using SEMs and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to determine the growth rate of the TGO and to investigate interdiffusion within the layered coating structure. The interdiffusion process was also modelled using the ODIN finite difference code.