Effect of high-temperature protective coatings on fatigue lives of nickel-based superalloys

This study concerns MCrAlY coatings (M is Ni, Co or both) sprayed by a vacuum plasma spraying process for protection against high-temperature corrosion and oxidation of gas turbine components, such as turbine blades and duct segments. The effect of high-temperature protective coatings on fatigue lives of nickel-based superalloys were investigated at high temperature under push–pull loading and rotary bending and then compared with uncoated superalloys, such as equiaxed IN738LC, unidirectional solidified CM247LC and single-crystal CMSX-2. The high-cycle fatigue lives of MCrAlY-coated superalloys at high temperature under push–pull loading showed an inferior performance when compared with the uncoated superalloys. This was because the crack initiation site was different. The high-cycle fatigue cracks of nickel-based superalloys initiated at casting cavities which were exposed on the specimen surface, whereas the high-cycle fatigue cracks of MCrAlY-coated specimens initiated at interface defects, such as small pores and grid residue, between the MCrAlY coating and the substrate and grew into the MCrAlY coating, and then into the substrate. Similarly, the rotary bending fatigue properties of MCrAlY-coated superalloys at high temperature showed an inferior performance when compared with the uncoated superalloys. This is because of a high stress due to the higher Young's modulus of the MCrAlY coating (in comparison with the substrate) being induced at the MCrAlY coating surface. The crack initiation site was on the specimen surface in both cases of the nickel-based superalloys and the MCrAlY-coated superalloys, respectively. As a result, it was considered that, for rotary bending tests, the fatigue life reduction was due to the high stress that originated from the difference of elastic constants between the MCrAlY coating and the superalloy. Consequently, in fatigue life design it is necessary to take account of the stress levels in a coating layer.