Variation of Thermal Barrier Coating Lifetime Characteristics with Thermal Durability Evaluation Methods

The thermal durability of thermal barrier coating systems (TBCs) obtained using feedstock powders with different purity and phase content was investigated by thermal shock testing with different cycle times, including the effects on the sintering and phase transformation behaviors. Four 8 wt.% yttria-stabilized zirconia powders, with regular purity (TC1), high purity (TC2 and TC3), and without monoclinic phase (TC4), were employed to prepare the topcoat of TBC by atmospheric plasma spray on a NiCoCrAlY bondcoat deposited by high velocity oxy-fuel. The microstructure and phase stability of the topcoats affected the TBCs’ lifetime in the short-term (1 h) and long-term (24 h) furnace cyclic test (FCT) at 1100 °C and jet engine thermal shock (JETS) test. In the short-term FCT and JETS tests, in which coatings are severely subjected to thermal stress, the TBCs’ lifetime is most affected by the microstructure of the topcoat. The coating layer with the lowest monoclinic phase in the as-sprayed state showed the lowest phase-transformation characteristics in the isothermal oxidation test (1400 °C). These properties resulted in the best lifetime in the long-term FCT. Therefore, the coating material and evaluating methods of TBCs’ life should be selected depending on the usage environment.     

Failure Mechanism for Thermal Fatigue of Thermal Barrier Coating Systems

Thick thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), consisting of a CoNiCrAlY bond coat and yttria-partially stabilized zirconia top coat with different porosity values, were produced by air plasma spray (APS). The thermal fatigue resistance limit of the TBCs was tested by furnace cycling tests (FCT) according to the specifications of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The morphology, residual stresses, and micromechanical properties (microhardness, indentation fracture toughness) of the TBC systems before and after FCT were analyzed. The thermal fatigue resistance increases with the amount of porosity in the top coat. The compressive in-plane stresses increase in the TBC systems after thermal cycling; nevertheless the increasing rate has a trend contrary to the porosity level of top coat. The data suggest that the spallation happens at the TGO/top coat interface. The failure mechanism of thick TBCs was found to be similar to that of conventional thin TBC systems made by APS.     

热障涂层体系界面屈曲破坏实验测试研究

针对实际应用中热障涂层体系发生界面屈曲破坏的工程问题,通过合理设计预埋界面缺陷的热障涂层样品,采用无损非接触式变形测试技术(数字图像相关法)和热力环境加速实验法,研究了空心圆柱体结构热障涂层体系的界面屈曲破坏问题。通过控制实验条件,再现了服役中热障涂层系统出现的不可预测性的界面屈曲破坏现象,并对其失效机理进行了合理的解释,为进一步了解和研究热障涂层体系界面屈曲破坏问题起到重要的指导作用。     

Self-Enhancing Thermal Insulation Performance of Bimodal-Structured Thermal Barrier Coating

Nanostructured thermal barrier coatings (nano-TBCs) are being extensively studied because of their excellent thermal barrier properties. The occurrence of sintering in TBCs is inevitable in service; however, accelerated sintering of the nano-TBCs may cause premature failure. This study focuses on the changes of microstructure and thermal conductivity of bimodal nano-TBCs during thermal exposure. Results show that there are two stages in the sintering process. It was found that the thermal conductivity increased rapidly in the first stage (from 0 to 20 h), with the rate of increase in normalized thermal conductivity equal to 140% of bimodal coating. The continuous healing of the pores was the main structural change. During the following stage (20 to 100 h), the thermal conductivity decreased with the rate of increase in normalized thermal conductivity equal to ??8% of bimodal coating. The change of structure was the opening of pores. Furthermore, self-enhancing behavior of bimodal composite coatings was discovered. The phenomenon of inevitable sintering in thermodynamics can be used to introduce large-aspect-ratio pores in the in-depth direction, which can greatly slow down the increase in thermal conductivity in service and ultimately increase the lifetime of the thermal insulation. Based on a full study of the sintering mechanism of composite coatings, the present study sheds light on the structural adjustments that lead to a lower thermal conductivity and longer service life in the advanced TBC during high-temperature service.     

Thermal Conductivity in Suspension Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings: Modeling and Experiments

Axial suspension plasma spraying (ASPS) can generate microstructures with higher porosity and pores in the size range from submicron to nanometer. ASPS thermal barrier coatings (TBC) have already shown a great potential to produce low thermal conductivity coatings for gas turbine applications. It is important to understand the fundamental relationships between microstructural defects in ASPS coatings such as crystallite boundaries, porosity etc. and thermal conductivity. Object-oriented finite element (OOF) analysis has been shown as an effective tool for evaluating thermal conductivity of conventional TBCs as this method is capable of incorporating the inherent microstructure in the model. The objective of this work was to analyze the thermal conductivity of ASPS TBCs using experimental techniques and also to evaluate a procedure where OOF can be used to predict and analyze the thermal conductivity for these coatings. Verification of the model was done by comparing modeling results with the experimental thermal conductivity. The results showed that the varied scaled porosity has a significant influence on the thermal conductivity. Smaller crystallites and higher overall porosity content resulted in lower thermal conductivity. It was shown that OOF could be a powerful tool to predict and rank thermal conductivity of ASPS TBCs.     

Knudsen Effect on the Estimation of the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Thermal Barrier Coatings

A numerical model based on the use of cross-sectional micrographies and a 3D image of thermal barrier coatings for the estimation of the material effective thermal conductivity is presented. The case of a YSZ thermal spray coating consisting of a 2 phase network, namely, the coating material and pores, is considered. The variation of the thermal conductivity of pores caused by their small size was considered by taking the Knudsen effect into account. The quantification of this effect on the effective thermal conductivity of the coating was achieved with the help of image analysis combined with an in-house program coded in C language. Finite-difference (FD) and finite-element (FE) models were applied using both 2D images and a 3D image. Despite the differences in the computed values obtained with these two numerical methods, the decrease of the computed thermal conductivity caused by the Knudsen effect was found to remain quite moderate for both methods (i.e., about 3-5% for the 3D results).     

New Generation Perovskite Thermal Barrier Coating Materials

Advanced ceramic materials of perovskite structure have been developed for potential application in thermal barrier coating systems, in an effort to improve the properties of the pre-existing ones like yttria-stabilized zirconia. Yb₂O₃ and Gd₂O₃ doped strontium zirconate (SrZrO₃) and barium magnesium tantalate (Ba(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃) of the ABO₃ and complex A(B′_1/3B′′_2/3)O₃ systems, respectively, have been synthesized using ball milling prior to solid state sintering. Thermal and mechanical investigations show desirable properties for high-temperature coating applications. On atmospheric plasma spraying, the newly developed thermal barrier coatings reveal promising thermal cycle lifetime up to 1350 °C.     

热障涂层高温氧化生长应力预测

基于Clark氧化生长应变率理论和Wagner氧化模型给出了涂层高温生长应力公式,计算预测了热障涂层中氧化生长应力随时间的演化规律;利用光致发光分析技术对氧化层的应力进行了实验测试,并对两种结果进行了比较和分析。结果表明,本文给出的热障涂层高温氧化生长应力模型预测与实验结果符合     

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Bond Coats with Higher Alumina Content: Oxidation Resistance and Influence on Thermal Barrier Coating Lifetime

Oxidation of Metals - The oxidation resistance of the bond coat in thermal barrier coating systems has significant influence on thermal cycling performance of the protective coating. In this study,...     

混合氧化物对等离子喷涂热障涂层热循环寿命的影响

采用梯度热循环试验与理论模型相结合的方式研究了混合氧化物对热障涂层寿命的影响。喷涂态热障涂层系统由Inconel 738基体、冷喷涂沉积的NiCoCrAlTaY粘结层(BC)及大气等离子喷涂制备的ZrO2+Y2O3(8%)陶瓷层组成。在1 150℃空气气氛条件下,经过保温20h制备了含有混合氧化物的涂层。每个热循环包括70s的加热,50s的保温及120s的压缩空气冷却。陶瓷层表面最高温度为1 150℃,此时250μm厚的陶瓷层隔热150℃。结果表明:涂层中存在混合氧化物时,其寿命显著降低,且涂层寿命降低程度与混合氧化物和α-Al2O3生长诱发的YSZ应变量,以及混合氧化物的覆盖率有关。与α-Al2O3相比,较高生长速率的混合氧化物易诱发YSZ产生较高的应变,过早地诱发涂层未结合界面扩展、合并,进而导致涂层快速失效。     

发动机涡轮叶片热障涂层剥落原因分析

航空发动机涡轮叶片试车后存在热障涂层剥落现象,通过对涂层剥落叶片及对比件进行宏观及微观观察、显微硬度、化学分析等测试,结合生产工艺全流程的调查分析及验证试验,找到叶片涂层剥落的根本原因.结果表明:叶片热障涂层剥落系物理气相沉积过程中设备抽气速率下降,造成炉内真空度下降,从而导致陶瓷层柱状晶组织与正常组织存在明显差异,且...     

Effect of Water Vapor on the Spallation of Thermal Barrier Coating Systems During Laboratory Cyclic Oxidation Testing

The effect of water and water vapor on the lifetime of Ni-based superalloy samples coated with a typical thermal barrier coating system—β-(Ni,Pt)Al bond coat and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) was studied. Samples were thermally cycled to 1,150 °C and subjected to a water-drop test in order to elucidate the effect of water vapor on thermal barrier coating (TBC) spallation. It was shown that the addition of water promotes spallation of TBC samples after a given number of cycles at 1,150 °C. This threshold was found to be equal to 170 cycles for the present system. Systems based on β-NiAl bond coat or on Pt-rich γ/γ′ bond coat were also sensitive to the water-drop test. Moreover, it was shown that water vapor in ambient air after minutes or hours at room temperature, promotes also TBC spallation once the critical number of cycles has been reached. This desktop spalling (DTS) can be prevented by locking up the cycled samples in a dry atmosphere box. These results for TBC systems confirm and document Smialek’s theory about DTS and moisture induced delayed spalling (MIDS) being the same phenomenon. Finally, the mechanisms implying hydrogen embrittlement or surface tension modifications are discussed.     

热喷涂热障涂层孔隙与涂层性能关系研究进展

孔隙在热障涂层中较为常见,孔隙对热障涂层的性能有利有弊。对热障涂层陶瓷层中孔隙的形成机理进行了综合分析,总结了热障涂层孔隙结构的调控方法,讨论了孔隙结构特征对热障涂层隔热性能和力学性能的影响。孔隙结构的引入将引起力学性能的下降,同时降低热障涂层的热导率,提高隔热效果。孔隙结构特征参数包括孔隙形状、孔隙间距、孔隙倾斜角、孔隙高宽比等,其中孔隙的倾斜角和高宽比对涂层导热性能的影响尤为重要,是孔隙结构的关键特征参数。通过原始粉末孔隙结构的保留、造孔剂(有机造孔剂、无机造孔剂)的搭配造孔、制备工艺(临界等离子喷涂参数、粒子扁平率等)的调节以及后续的孔隙处理,可实现热障涂层孔隙结构的调控。在实际应用过程中应同时兼顾力学性能和隔热性能,最重要的是保证热障涂层的有效寿命,需要综合考虑力学性能与导热性能的匹配。通过热障涂层孔隙结构特征的设计及分布控制,可实现孔隙结构高性能、高可靠性热障涂层的制备。     

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.     

Bilayer Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings with Enhanced Thermal Cyclic Lifetime: Experiments and Modeling

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) has been shown as a promising process to produce porous columnar strain tolerant coatings for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in gas turbine engines. However, the highly porous structure is vulnerable to crack propagation, especially near the topcoat-bondcoat interface where high stresses are generated due to thermal cycling. A topcoat layer with high toughness near the topcoat-bondcoat interface could be beneficial to enhance thermal cyclic lifetime of SPS TBCs. In this work, a bilayer coating system consisting of first a dense layer near the topcoat-bondcoat interface followed by a porous columnar layer was fabricated by SPS using Yttria-stabilised zirconia suspension. The objective of this work was to investigate if the bilayer topcoat architecture could enhance the thermal cyclic lifetime of SPS TBCs through experiments and to understand the effect of the column gaps/vertical cracks and the dense layer on the generated stresses in the TBC during thermal cyclic loading through finite element modeling. The experimental results show that the bilayer TBC had significantly higher lifetime than the single-layer TBC. The modeling results show that the dense layer and vertical cracks are beneficial as they reduce the thermally induced stresses which thus increase the lifetime.     

PS-PVD制备粘结层及其对热障涂层性能的影响

目的探究真空热处理对PS-PVD制备的粘结层的影响,并研究PS-PVD制备粘结层对热障涂层性能的影响。方法采用PS-PVD技术在高温合金基体上制备不同材料体系的粘结层和陶瓷层,采用真空热处理和高温氧化试验,对粘结层与基体界面间的元素扩散过程以及不同材料粘结层对热障涂层抗氧化性能的影响进行研究,并通过X射线衍射和EDS能谱对涂层的物相及元素分布进行分析。结果通过PS-PVD制备的不同粘结层体系的热障涂层试样,在近粘结层处的陶瓷层物相组成并无明显区别。粘结层与基体的元素扩散情况受真空热处理时间和温度的影响,随着真空热处理时间的延长,基体一侧的富铝相逐渐增多。当热处理8 h后,形成的扩散区的宽度已超过20μm;随着热处理温度的提高,同样也形成了更宽的扩散区。NiCoCrAlYTa/7YSZ热障涂层氧化100h后,TGO层的厚度达到4.0μm,氧化150h时,涂层发生脱离。NiCrAlY/7YSZ热障涂层氧化150 h后,TGO层的厚度达到4.4μm,但未出现脱离现象。结论热处理的时间越长,温度越高,粘结层与基体的元素扩散行为越剧烈。不同的粘结层材料会影响热障涂层的氧化动力学过程。     

基于遗传算法的热障涂层寿命微观影响因素

热障涂层寿命受到界面波长和幅值等微观因素的影响,但对其影响机制并不清楚。首先,基于Manson-Coffin公式和累计损伤理论,建立热障涂层寿命预测模型,并将拟合问题转化为优化问题,采用遗传算法求解寿命模型中的系数。然后,基于涂层试验数据建立热障涂层二维轴对称有限元模型,研究并确定可用于准确预测涂层寿命的应力应变信息类型。最后,采用响应面法选取陶瓷层厚度、黏结层厚度、界面波长和幅值作为影响因素,开展涂层寿命的微观影响因素研究。结果表明,使用循环等效应变范围进行涂层寿命预测的最大误差和平均误差最小,分别为50%和21%;涂层寿命随陶瓷层厚度的增加略微上升,随黏结层厚度的增加先下降后上升,随界面波长的增加先上升后下降,随界面幅值的增加而下降,且界面幅值对涂层寿命的影响最大;最优组合的涂层寿命为947次循环,与初始值相比提高了163.1%。给出不同涂层厚度下使涂层寿命达到极值的波长与幅值选择公式,研究成果可为热障涂层的寿命预测和结构优化设计提供方法与理论指导。     

Technical and Economical Aspects of Current Thermal Barrier Coating Systems for Gas Turbine Engines by Thermal Spray and EBPVD: A Review

The most advanced thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems for aircraft engine and power generation hot section components consist of electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) applied yttria-stabilized zirconia and platinum modified diffusion aluminide bond coating. Thermally sprayed ceramic and MCrAlY bond coatings, however, are still used extensively for combustors and power generation blades and vanes. This article highlights the key features of plasma spray and HVOF, diffusion aluminizing, and EBPVD coating processes. The coating characteristics of thermally sprayed MCrAlY bond coat as well as low density and dense vertically cracked (DVC) Zircoat TBC are described. Essential features of a typical EBPVD TBC coating system, consisting of a diffusion aluminide and a columnar TBC, are also presented. The major coating cost elements such as material, equipment and processing are explained for the different technologies, with a performance and cost comparison given for selected examples.