Microstructural effects on indentation failure mechanisms in TiN coatings: Finite element simulations

Titanium nitride (TiN) coatings offer improvements in resistance to wear and environmental degradation. TiN films produced by physical vapour deposition tend to exhibit columnar grain structures, with attendant anisotropies in elastic and fracture properties that influence mechanical behaviour during instrumented indentation. However, computational simulations of indentation behaviour to date have treated TiN films as homogeneous and isotropic. In the present study, nanoindentation of TiN coatings on ductile substrates is simulated and resultant deformation and damage mechanisms are predicted. Intergranular sliding that occurs due to the columnar grain structure is incorporated into the model via anisotropic property definitions and nodal coupling. Substrate and coating properties are calibrated by comparison with previously obtained experimental results. Effects of coating thickness, substrate ductility and residual stresses on coating deformation processes and failure mechanisms are established.     

Through-thickness determination of phase composition and residual stresses in thermal barrier coatings using high-energy X-rays

High-energy X-rays were used to determine the local phase composition and residual stresses through the thickness of as-sprayed and heat-treated plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings consisting of a NiCoCrAlY bond coat and an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) topcoat produced with through-thickness segmentation cracks. The as-sprayed residual stresses reflected the combined influence of quenching stresses from the plasma spray process, thermal expansion mismatch between the topcoat, bond coat and substrate, and stress relief from the segmentation cracks. Heat treatments led to the formation of a thermally grown oxide (TGO) which was in compression in the plane, as well as relief of quenching stresses and development of a stress gradient in the YSZ topcoat. The high-energy X-ray technique used in this study revealed the effects that TGO and segmentation cracks have on the in-plane stress state of the entire coating.     

Effect of spraying distance on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Colmonoy 88 alloy deposited by HVOF thermal spraying

The present work has been conducted in order to determine systematically the influence of the spraying distance on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Colmonoy 88 alloy deposited by means of HVOF thermal spray onto a SAE 1045 steel substrate. The spray distance varied between 380-470 mm and the evaluation of the deposits characteristics and properties was carried out both on their surface and on cross section. Both hardness and elastic modulus of the coatings were determined according to the model of Oliver and Pharr. The yield strength of the coatings was also estimated following the methodology developed by Zeng and Chiu for the analysis of the loading and unloading curves obtained from nanoindentation experiments, as well as from classical static spherical indentation tests. The microstructural analysis indicated a significant increase in the unmelted particles volume fraction and the development of interlamellar microcracks as the spraying distance increases, leading to a decrease in the elastic modulus of the coatings. Both hardness and elastic modulus showed an anisotropic behavior and were found to be higher on the cross section of the coating than on the deposition plane. A satisfactory comparison between the predicted and experimental values of the coatings yield strength was observed for all the conditions investigated.     

The Elastic Modulus of Cold Spray Coatings: Influence of Inter-splat Boundary Cracking

It is well established that cold spray coatings exhibit substantially lower elastic modulus as compared to bulk material of the same composition. It has also been observed that the heat treatment of the cold spray coatings results in a significant increase in the elastic modulus of the coating. To check whether the presence of inter-splat cracks is responsible for the above behavior, a wide variety of metallic materials (Cu, Ag, Zn, Nb, Ta, Ti, and 316L stainless steels) in the powder form have been deposited on a mild steel substrate using the cold spray technique. These coatings in both as-coated and heat-treated conditions have been characterized for their porosity, extent of inter-splat boundary cracking, hardness, and elastic modulus. Results indicate that the elastic modulus of the coatings are substantially lower than the bulk value and also that the heat treatment of the coatings consistently increase their elastic modulus values. It has been shown that the reduction in elastic modulus of cold spray coatings can be related to the extent of inter-splat boundary cracking. Further, it has been shown that the standard models relating elastic modulus to the crack density are capable of explaining the observed modulus in the case of cold spray coatings in the as-coated and heat-treated conditions.     

Mechanical property variations within thermal barrier coatings

The mechanical properties of nanostructured yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings were investigated using an instrumented indentation technique. Coatings were produced using the Triple-Torch Plasma Reactor (TTPR) where three plasma jet plumes converge to form a single jet where powder is injected axially. Partially fused clusters of sub-micron particles are characteristic for the coating microstructure. Flattened particles, termed as splats that are typical for conventional YSZ coatings were not observed.The microstructure exhibits a low isotropy that is related to variations in mechanical properties that are measured in directions parallel (normal to the coating plane) and perpendicular to the spray direction (in the plane of the coating). The microstructure of the nanostructured coating, which is different from a conventional coating, has a significant effect on the anisotropy of the mechanical properties. The in-plane elastic modulus of the nanostructured coating is lower than the normal modulus, as opposed to a conventional YSZ coating where the ratio is inversed. Multiple indentations arranged in arrays were used to map the variation in mechanical properties. Indentation results obtained using spherical and Vickers indenters are compared.     

变形温度对核电用锆包壳管表面Cr涂层开裂行为的影响

Cr涂层能够有效提高核电反应堆锆包壳管的事故容错能力，但在高温下其内部可能会萌生裂纹导致涂层开裂失效，现有Cr涂层开裂行为研究多针对常温，因此研究不同温度下Cr涂层的开裂行为对于其应用具有重要的理论和工程价值。采用多弧离子镀技术在N36锆合金包壳管外表面制备厚度为14μm左右的Cr涂层，采用WDW-100C万能试验机对涂层管分别进行室温（25℃）与高温（100、200、300、400℃）拉伸试验，并通过超景深显微镜和扫描电镜（SEM）观察涂层的裂纹表面与截面形貌，对Cr涂层在不同温度下的开裂行为与开裂机理进行研究。结果表明，随着温度升高，涂层管的屈服强度从（400±5）MPa下降到（150±5）MPa，涂层管的总体塑性变化不大；室温下裂纹萌生于涂层内部，其开裂方式为脆性沿晶断裂；100℃时涂层开裂方式不变，但表面裂纹数量减少，裂纹尖端出现钝化，由V字形转变为U字形；随着温度进一步升高，涂层的塑性变形能力提高，其表面呈流线形塑性变形；200℃及以上温度下，涂层表面无明显开裂，仅出现少量微裂纹，塑性的升高导致拉伸过程中涂层的变形量与基体存在差异，裂纹开始萌生于界面处，其断裂方式也由脆性断裂...     

电弧喷涂Zn-Al伪合金涂层耐腐蚀性能研究进展

通过在钢基体表面制备涂层可以很好地延长钢铁材料的服役时间,减少因腐蚀造成的重大事故和人员伤亡。相较于传统的纯Zn涂层、纯Al涂层以及Zn-Al合金涂层,Zn-Al伪合金涂层能够为基体材料提供长久有效的腐蚀防护,在钢铁材料的腐蚀防护中具有巨大的应用潜力。简述了Zn-Al伪合金涂层电弧喷涂制备工艺的特点;介绍了Zn、Al、Zn-Al合金及Zn-Al伪合金涂层在模拟海洋环境下的腐蚀防护原理;在此基础上从组分、喷涂工艺参数(喷涂距离、喷涂电流和喷涂电压)、元素掺杂(Mg、Si及Re)及后处理工艺(封孔、激光重熔)等角度,论述了其对Zn-Al伪合金涂层耐蚀性的影响;讨论了Zn-Al伪合金涂层防腐体系在桥梁、海洋钢结构件、地下运输管道中的应用现状;最后总结了目前研究工作中存在的挑战,提出了电弧喷涂Zn-Al伪合金涂层尚需深入研究的重点问题,为提高钢铁材料使用寿命提供了参考。     

Through-thickness residual stress evaluations for several industrial thermal spray coatings using a modified layer-removal method

Residual stresses are inherent in thermal spray coatings because the application process involves large temperature gradients in materials with different mechanical properties. In many cases, failure analysis of thermal spray coatings has indicated that residual stresses contribute to reduced service life. An estab-lished method for experimentally evaluating residual stresses involves monitoring deformations in a part as layers of material are removed. Although the method offers several advantages, applications are lim-ited to a single isotropic material and do not include coated materials. This paper describes a modified layer-removal method for evaluating through-thickness residual stress distributions in coated materials. The modification is validated by comparisons with three-dimensional finite-element analysis results. The modified layer-removal method was applied to determine through-thickness residual stress distributions for six industrial thermal spray coatings: stainless steel, aluminum, Ni-5A1, two tungsten carbides, and a ceramic thermal barrier coating. The modified method requires only ordinary resistance strain-gage measuring equipment and can be relatively insensitive to uncertainties in the mechanical properties of the coating material.     

Erosion Performance of HVOF-Sprayed Cr3C2-NiCr Coatings

Cr₃C₂-NiCr coatings were deposited by high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying process under spray conditions of different flows of oxygen and propane gases, and spray distances. The orthogonal regression experimental design method was used for systematic investigation of the influence of spray parameters on the erosion performance of Cr₃C₂-NiCr coatings. Erosion tests were performed at different jet angles of abrasive particles. The erosion mechanism of Cr₃C₂-NiCr coatings was examined through the surface morphology and cross-sectional microstructure of the eroded coatings. The correlations of the carbide particle size and carbide content with the erosion rate were examined. It was found that the erosion occurred dominantly by spalling of splats from the lamellar interfaces. The spalling resulted from the propagation of cracks parallel to the interfaces between the lamellae exposed to the surface and underlying coating. The carbide particle size and content in the coating influenced significantly the erosion performance of Cr₃C₂-NiCr coatings.     

Near-isotropic air plasma sprayed titania

A titania feedstock was air plasma sprayed on low carbon steel substrates. In-flight particle temperature, velocity and diameter were monitored in order to find a parameter set that resulted in high particle temperature and velocity. Coatings were produced using the chosen parameter set, and certain mechanical properties (Vickers microhardness, Knoop microhardness and elastic modulus) of these deposits were measured on the cross-section and in-plane (top surface). The microstructure was evaluated using image analysis (porosity) and scanning electron microscopy. Thermal spray coatings are widely known for their anisotropic character, however, in this work, the mechanical properties of the titania coatings exhibited very similar values on the cross-section and in-plane regions. The reasons why this near-isotropic character is present are suggested and discussed.     

In Situ Acoustic Monitoring of Thermal Spray Process Using High-Frequency Impulse Measurements

In order to guarantee their protective function, thermal spray coatings must be free from cracks, which expose the substrate surface to, e.g., corrosive media. Cracks in thermal spray coatings are usually formed because of tensile residual stresses. Most commonly, the crack occurrence is determined after the thermal spraying process by examination of metallographic cross sections of the coating. Recent efforts focus on in situ monitoring of crack formation by means of acoustic emission analysis. However, the acoustic signals related to crack propagation can be absorbed by the noise of the thermal spraying process. In this work, a high-frequency impulse measurement technique was applied to separate different acoustic sources by visualizing the characteristic signal of crack formation via quasi-real-time Fourier analysis. The investigations were carried out on a twin wire arc spraying process, utilizing FeCrBSi as a coating material. The impact of the process parameters on the acoustic emission spectrum was studied. Acoustic emission analysis enables to obtain global and integral information on the formed cracks. The coating morphology and coating defects were inspected using light microscopy on metallographic cross sections. Additionally, the resulting crack patterns were imaged in 3D by means of x-ray microtomography.     

基于分布位错法对涂层裂纹力学行为的研究

目的 在单轴拉伸载荷下,用理论方法求解弹性涂层中裂纹的力学性质和相互影响。方法 根据叠加原理,将问题分为2个子问题,使用分布位错原理求解裂纹问题,将裂纹建模为沿裂纹线分布的位错阵列,叠加后使用数值求解方法进行求解。结果 得到了不同涂层模量、不同裂纹长度下表面裂纹尖端的应力强度因子（SIF）和涂层界面应力。涂层与基底模量相差越大,表面裂纹越长,其界面应力越大。计算了不同方位下的微裂纹对表面裂纹的影响,给出了60°倾角微裂纹、2l/h=0.2和2l/h=0.04表面裂纹以及2a/h=0.01和2a/h=0.018表面裂纹的影响区域。分析了涂层内部倾斜裂纹对表面裂纹应力强度因子和扩展角的影响。内部倾斜裂纹尖端对表面裂纹尖端的等效应力强度因子（ESIF）有增强作用,两侧有减弱作用。结论 较硬涂层对表面裂纹的扩展有增强作用,裂纹越长,受涂层模量对其应力强度因子的影响越大。微裂纹对表面裂纹的影响跟微裂纹位置、方向、长度和表面裂纹长度有关。表面裂纹附近的倾斜裂纹对表面裂纹的扩展具有吸引作用。     

Deposition of Electrically Conductive Coatings on Castable Polyurethane Elastomers by the Flame Spraying Process

Deposition of metallic coatings on elastomeric polymers is a challenging task due to the heat sensitivity and soft nature of these materials and the high temperatures in thermal spraying processes. In this study, a flame spraying process was employed to deposit conductive coatings of aluminum-12silicon on polyurethane elastomers. The effect of process parameters, i.e., stand-off distance and air added to the flame spray torch, on temperature distribution and corresponding effects on coating characteristics, including electrical resistivity, were investigated. An analytical model based on a Green’s function approach was employed to determine the temperature distribution within the substrate. It was found that the coating porosity and electrical resistance decreased by increasing the pressure of the air injected into the flame spray torch during deposition. The latter also allowed for a reduction of the stand-off distance of the flame spray torch. Dynamic mechanical analysis was performed to investigate the effect of the increase in temperature within the substrate on its dynamic mechanical properties. It was found that the spraying process did not significantly change the storage modulus of the polyurethane substrate material.     

Thermal cyclic performance of NiAl/alumina-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings deposited using a hybrid arc and magnetron sputtering system

In the present work, a hybrid arc/sputter deposition system is used to deposit alumina-stabilized zirconia (ASZ) thermal barrier coatings. An initial NiAl bond coat is deposited on the nickel super alloy substrates, in the same coating system, by arc ion plating alone. The as-deposited ASZ coatings have a dense columnar structure. From X-ray diffractometry (XRD), it is found that the as-deposited ASZ films are almost entirely tetragonal. This is believed to result from the relatively high concentration of aluminum (10 at.%) in the ASZ films. Thermal testing is carried out over numerous cycles, each consisting of 30 and 10 min at 1100 °C and ambient, respectively. During thermal testing, a significant amount of the tetragonal phase is transformed to monoclinic. Furthermore a significant number of cracks, both parallel and perpendicular to the substrate surface, are found to occur in the ASZ layer as a result of tensile and compressive thermal stresses. Although a thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer between the top and bond coat, and Kirkendall voids in the interfacial region between substrate and bond coat occur in this coating system, the failure occurs principally as a result of parallel cracks which form just above the TGO. After 200 thermal cycles, a great portion of the topcoat has failed. The formation of cracks, and the subsequent coating failure, is likely to result from the dense coatings being unable to accommodate the thermal stresses parallel to the surface during the cycling tests.     

Ultrasonic characterization of elastic anisotropy in plasma-sprayed alumina coatings

An ultrasonic, nondestructive contact measurement technique was employed to detect and characterize the elastic anisotropy of a free-standing, plasma-sprayed alumina coating. Following this initial evalu-ation, a computer-assisted, ultrasonic anisotropic test bed was used to determine the anisotropic elastic stiffness constants of coatings produced by plasma gun currents of 600 and 400 A. The results showed that the plasma-sprayed alumina coatings are transversely isotropic; i.e., isotropic in the spraying direction. These coatings were characterized by five independent elastic stiffness constants. Coatings produced at 600 A plasma gun current showed higher elastic stiffness constants than those produced at 400 A plasma gun current. This increase appeared to be related to a decrease in the porosity content of the coatings pro-duced at the higher plasma gun current.     

Thermal Spray of Cemented Carbide Coatings in Off-Angle Spraying: Correlations Between Process,Coating Features/Characteristics and Performance

Oxidation or decomposition of thermally sprayed coatings during deposition may noticably impair the coating features and characteristics, i.e. the surface integrity of coated components, including coating porosity, phase, microhardness, elastic modulus and toughness, etc., having a profound influence on the final performance of components. Further degradations along with enhanced oxidation of the coatings were observed for an off-angle spraying scheme in industrial practice, where inconsistent results were previously reported for spray angle-dependent degradation of various thermal spray coatings, with the mechanism not being fully understood with the less controlled surface integrity. An improved off-angle HVOF thermal spray has been developed for cemented carbide coatings, using pretreated WC-Ni feedstock powders covered with a nanoscale capsulizing nickel layer. A comprehensive study on the formation of multiple surface integrity parameters and the correlative interactions between them is thus facilitated with controllable surface integrity generation using the capsulized powders. Decarburization is mainly attributed to the exposure of pristine WC grains causing enhanced porosity in inter-splats regions, and then microhardness depends mainly on porosity and partly on phase composition, while the elastic modulus depends on intra-splats cohesion and the indentation fracture toughness on inter-splats cohesion, respectively. Abrasive wear from mild to severe regime transition could be interpreted by the inter-splats and intra-splats cohesion correlation. It has been demonstrated by the improved off-angle thermal spray that a manufacturing process could be designed and optimized on the identified unique correlations between the processes, surface integrity and the final performance.     

Failure Behavior of Plasma-Sprayed Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings Under Three-Point Bending Test via Acoustic Emission Technique

In this paper, the failure behavior of plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS-TBCs) under three-point bending (3PB) test has been characterized via acoustic emission (AE) technique. Linear positioning method has been adopted to monitor dynamic failure process of the APS-TBCs under 3PB test. The investigation results indicate that the variation of AE parameters (AE event counts, amplitudes and AE energy) corresponds well with the change of stress–strain curve of the loading processes. The failure mechanism was analyzed based on the characteristics of AE parameters. The distribution of frequency of crack propagation has been obtained. The AE signals came from two aspects: i.e., plastic deformation of substrates, initiation and propagation of the cracks in the coatings. The AE analysis combined with cross-sectional observation has indicated that many critical cracks initiate at the surface of the top-coat. And some main cracks tend to propagate toward the substrate/bond-coat interface. The actual failure mechanism of the APS-TBCs under 3PB test is attributed to the debonding of metallic coating from the substrates and the propagation of the horizontal crack along the substrate/bond-coat interface under the action of flexural moment.     

300M钢表面冷喷涂锌镍复合涂层性能研究

目的 研究300M高强钢表面的冷喷涂锌镍复合涂层的涂层性能.方法 采用机械混合的方式将锌粉和镍粉进行混合,利用低温气动喷涂技术在300M高强钢表面制备锌镍复合涂层,采用扫描电子显微镜、能量色散谱和显微硬度测试仪研究涂层的微观组织结构.采用普通中性盐雾加速实验、涂层破损盐雾加速试验及户外暴晒试验,对冷喷涂锌镍涂层的抗腐蚀性能进行综合评价.考核冷喷涂对300M钢基材疲劳性能的影响.结果 根据SEM的表面及截面图片分析,冷啧涂锌镍复合涂层十分致密,且无孔隙及裂纹,涂层的孔隙率平均为0.4％,结合强度40 MPa左右.根据EDS结果分析,锌镍复合涂层中锌的质量分数为85％左右,镍的质量分数为15％左右.锌镍复合涂层的显微硬度为70.8HV0.49.锌镍复合涂层中镍粒子的强化作用,提高了涂层的硬度.冷喷涂锌镍复合涂层具有非常好的抗腐蚀性能,盐雾实验超过770h,即使涂层破损也可以达到600h.户外暴晒实验12个月表面无明显腐蚀,并且冷喷涂对300M钢基材的疲劳性能没有影响.结论 冷喷涂锌镍复合涂层作为抗腐蚀涂层,可以对300M高强钢提供保护.     

Effects of spraying parameters onto flame-sprayed glaze coating structures

Thanks to their design characteristics (i.e., colors, brightness, opacity, etc.) and/or physical properties (i.e., durability, low thermal conductivity, tightness, etc.), glazes find numerous applications, from art ornamenting to protection against corrosion. Glazing consists in coating a substrate by fusing various mineral substances over it. This is a low cost process and hence can be applied on large surfaces. Conventional glazing process needs a relatively high temperature treatment (i.e., up to 1400 °C) that heat-sensitive substrates do not sustain.Thermal spraying may be a good solution to prevent the substrate from thermal degradation. Flame spraying was considered as the spray technique due to its low operating cost and the possibility to adapt the glaze transition temperature to the operating parameters.When spraying glazes, the coating formation mechanism is different from the one encountered with crystallized ceramic materials. Indeed, the high surface tension of those feedstock prevents the particles from being totally spread (i.e., “dewetting” phenomena). Here, the coating results from the coalescence of impinging particles to form a monolayer.The effects of glaze morphology on coatings were studied in this paper. Chemical analysis also permitted to determine the influence of spray parameters on glaze compositions, that can affect glazes thermal properties and hence modify coating structures. At last, the effects of operating parameters on coating architecture were analyzed by experimental design.     

氧乙炔火焰喷焊制备自熔性合金涂层及其性能研究

目的研究镍基自熔性合金喷焊涂层成形机理,比较不同合金材料制备涂层的综合性能,以获得综合性能最佳的喷焊材料。方法以四种不同成分的镍基自熔性合金粉末作为喷焊材料,通过氧乙炔火焰在45钢基材表面进行喷焊。使用金相显微镜、X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜等对喷焊层进行显微结构分析,并利用维氏硬度计、磨损试验机等对喷焊涂层性能进行对比分析。结果氧乙炔火焰制备的涂层与基体呈现良好的冶金结合,涂层和基体在喷焊过程中发生元素扩散,生成了金属间化合物,基体的整体性能有显著改善。随着材料中Cr、B、Si等合金元素含量的增加,喷焊时涂层中生成的BCr、Ni17Si3等共晶硬质相含量上升,促使涂层的显微硬度、耐磨性能等得到显著提升。其中,Ni60A涂层提升最为显著,其涂层硬度相当于基体硬度的2.5倍,耐磨性为基体的18.1倍。Ni25A涂层提升最小,其显微硬度是基体的1.3倍,耐磨性是基体的6.6倍。结论喷焊状态下的Ni60A涂层与基体冶金结合良好,涂层表面质量好,涂层性能最佳。