Nicholas Curry

Evaluation of the Lifetime and Thermal Conductivity of Dysprosia-Stabilized Thermal Barrier Coating Systems

The aim of this study was the further development of dysprosia-stabilized zirconia coatings for gas turbine applications. The target for these coatings was a longer lifetime and higher insulating performance compared to today’s industrial standard thermal barrier coating. Two morphologies of ceramic top coat were studied: one using a dual-layer system and the second using a polymer to generate porosity. Evaluations were carried out using a laser flash technique to measure thermal properties. Lifetime testing was conducted using thermo-cyclic fatigue testing. Microstructure was assessed with SEM and Image analysis was used to characterize porosity content. The results show that coatings with an engineered microstructure give performance twice that of the present reference coating.

Characterization of Microstructure and Thermal Properties of YSZ Coatings Obtained by Axial Suspension Plasma Spraying (ASPS)

The paper aims at demonstrating various microstructures which can be obtained using the suspension spraying technique and their respective significance in enhancing the thermal insulation property of a thermal barrier coating. Three different types of coating microstructures are discussed which were produced by the Axial Suspension Plasma Spraying. Detailed characterization of coatings was then performed. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were utilized for microstructure evaluations; x-ray diffraction for phase analysis; water impregnation, image analysis, and mercury intrusion porosimetry for porosity analysis, and laser flash analysis for thermal diffusivity measurements were used. The results showed that Axial Suspension Plasma Spraying can generate vertically cracked, porous, and feathery columnar-type microstructures. Pore size distribution was found in micron, submicron, and nanometer range. Higher overall porosity, the lower density of vertical cracks or inter-column spacing, and higher inter-pass porosity favored thermal insulation property of the coating. Significant increase in thermal diffusivity and conductivity was found at higher temperature, which is believed to be due to the pore rearrangement (sintering and pore coarsening). Thermal conductivity values for these coatings were also compared with electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) thermal barrier coatings from the literature and found to be much lower.

Influence of Microstructure on Thermal Properties of Axial Suspension Plasma-Sprayed YSZ Thermal Barrier Coatings

Suspension plasma spraying is a relatively new thermal spaying technique to produce advanced thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) and enables production of coatings with a variety of structures—highly dense, highly porous, segmented, or columnar. This work investigates suspension plasma-sprayed TBCs produced using axial injection with different process parameters. The influence of coating microstructure on thermal properties was of specific interest. Tests carried out included microstructural analysis, phase analysis, determination of porosity, and pore size distribution, as well as thermal diffusivity/conductivity measurements. Results showed that axial suspension plasma spraying process makes it possible to produce various columnar-type coatings under different processing conditions. Significant influence of microstructural features on thermal properties of the coatings was noted. In particular, the process parameter-dependent microstructural attributes, such as porosity, column density, and crystallite size, were shown to govern the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the coating.

Optimization of High Porosity Thermal Barrier Coatings Generated with a Porosity Former

Yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings are extensively used in turbine industry; however, increasing performance requirements have begun to make conventional air plasma sprayed coatings insufficient for future needs. Since the thermal conductivity of bulk material cannot be lowered easily; the design of highly porous coatings may be the most efficient way to achieve coatings with low thermal conductivity. Thus the approach of fabrication of coatings with a high porosity level based on plasma spraying of ceramic particles of dysprosia-stabilized zirconia mixed with polymer particles, has been tested. Both polymer and ceramic particles melt in plasma and after impact onto a substrate they form a coating. When the coating is subjected to heat treatment, polymer burns out and a complex structure of pores and cracks is formed. In order to obtain desired porosity level and microstructural features in coatings; a design of experiments, based on changes in spray distance, powder feeding rate, and plasma-forming atmosphere, was performed. Acquired coatings were evaluated for thermal conductivity and thermo-cyclic fatigue, and their morphology was assessed using scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that porosity level can be controlled by appropriate changes in spraying parameters.

Fatigue Testing of TBC on Structural Steel by Cyclic Bending

Abstract For applications with variable loading, fatigue performance of coated parts is of utmost importance. In this study, fatigue performance of conventional structural steel coated with thermal barrier coating (TBC) was evaluated in cyclic bending mode by “SF-Test” device. Testing was carried out at each stage of the TBC preparation process, i.e., for as-received and grit-blasted substrates, as well as for samples with Ni-based bond-coat and complete TBC: bond-coat with YSZ-based top-coat. Comparison of results obtained for different loading amplitudes supplemented by fractographic analysis enabled identification of dominating failure mechanisms and demonstrated applicability of the high-frequency resonant bending test for evaluation of fatigue resistance alteration at each stage of the TBC deposition process.

Fatigue Crack Growth in Bodies with Thermally Sprayed Coating

Many applications of thermally sprayed coatings call for increased fatigue resistance of coated parts. Despite the intensive research in this area, the influence of coating on fatigue is still not completely understood. In this paper, the localization of crack initiation sites and the dynamics of crack propagation are studied. The resonance bending fatigue test was employed to test flat specimens with both sides coated. Hastelloy-X substrates coated with classical thermal barrier coating consisting of yttria stabilized zirconia and NiCoCrAlY layers. The strain distribution on the coating surface was evaluated by the Digital Image Correlation method through the whole duration of the fatigue test. Localization of crack initiation sites and the mode of crack propagation in the coated specimen are related to the observed resonance frequency. The individual phases of specimen degradation, i.e., the changes of material properties, crack initiation, and crack propagation, were identified. The tested coatings strongly influenced the first two phases, and the influence on the crack propagation was less significant. In general, the presented crack detection method can be used as a sensitive nondestructive testing method well suited for coated parts.

Influence of Microstructure on Thermal Properties of Columnar Axial Suspension Plasma Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings

Suspension Plasma Spraying is a relatively new thermal spraying technique to produce advanced thermal barrier coatings. This technique enables the production of a variety of structures from highly ...

Hot Corrosion Mechanism in Multi-Layer Suspension Plasma Sprayed Gd2Zr2O7 /YSZ Thermal Barrier Coatings in the Presence of V2O5 + Na2SO4

This study investigates the corrosion resistance of two-layer Gd2Zr2O7/YSZ, three-layer dense Gd2Zr2O7/ Gd2Zr2O7/YSZ, and a reference single-layer YSZ coating with a similar overall top coat thickness of 300-320 µm. All the coatings were manufactured by suspension plasma spraying resulting in a columnar structure except for the dense layer. Corrosion tests were conducted at 900 °C for 8 h using V2O5 and Na2SO4 as corrosive salts at a concentration of approximately 4 mg/cm2. SEM investigations after the corrosion tests show that Gd2Zr2O7-based coatings exhibited lower reactivity with the corrosive salts and the formation of gadolinium vanadate (GdVO4), accompanied by the phase transformation of zirconia was observed. It is believed that the GdVO4 formation between the columns reduced the strain tolerance of the coating and also due to the fact that Gd2Zr2O7 has a lower fracture toughness value made it more susceptible to corrosion-induced damage. Furthermore, the presence of a relatively dense layer of Gd2Zr2O7 on the top did not improve in reducing the corrosion-induced damage. For the reference YSZ coating, the observed corrosion-induced damage was lower probably due to combination of more limited salt penetration, the SPS microstructure and superior fracture toughness of YSZ.

Evaluation of failure micromechanisms of advanced thermal spray coatings by in-situ experiment

Identification of failure mechanisms of thermal spray coatings by means of traditional fractography of failed parts is often troublesome. Reason for this is a highly inhomogeneous character of the coating microstructure and harsh in-service conditions which may hinder evidentiary fractographic marks. In this study, failure evolution of advanced thermal barrier coating (TBC) prepared by plasma spraying was studied in-situ at high magnification in a scanning electron microscope under well-defined laboratory conditions of three-point bending (3PB).

Controlling Microstructure of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Prepared from Suspensions and Solutions by Plasma Spraying with High Feed Rates

Introduction of suspension and solution plasma spraying led to a breakthrough in the deposition of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings and enabled preparation of new types of layers. However, their deposition with high feed rates needed, for example, for the deposition of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on large-scale components, is still challenging. In this study, possibility of high-throughput plasma spraying of YSZ coatings is demonstrated for the latest generation of high-enthalpy hybrid water-stabilized plasma (WSP-H) torch technology. The results show that microstructure of the coatings prepared by WSP-H may be tailored for specific applications by the choice of deposition conditions, in particular formulation of the liquid feedstock. Porous and columnar coatings with low thermal conductivity (0.5-0.6 W/mK) were prepared from commercial ethanol-based suspension. Dense vertically cracked coatings with higher thermal conductivity but also higher internal cohesion were deposited from suspension containing ethanol/water mixture and coarser YSZ particles. Spraying of solution formulated from diluted zirconium acetate and yttrium nitrate hexahydrate led also to the successful deposition of YSZ coating combining regions of porous and denser microstructure and providing both low thermal conductivity and improved cohesion of the coating. Enthalpy content, liquid-plasma interaction and coating buildup mechanisms are also discussed.