Xin Zhong

Design and optimization of coating structure for the thermal barrier coatings fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying via finite element method

Abstract The first prerequisite for fabricating the thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with excellent performance is to find an optimized coating structure with high thermal insulation effect and low residual stress. This paper discusses the design and optimization of a suitable coating structure for the TBCs prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) using the finite element method. The design and optimization processes comply with the rules step by step, as the structure develops from a simple to a complex one. The research results indicate that the suitable thicknesses of the bond-coating and top-coating are 60–120 μm and 300–420 μm, respectively, for the single ceramic layer YSZ/NiCoCrAlY APS-TBC. The embedded interlayer (50 wt.%YSZ + 50 wt.%NiCoCrAlY) will further reduce the residual stress without sacrificing the thermal insulation effect. The double ceramic layer was further considered which was based on the single ceramic layer TBC. The embedded interlayer and the upper additional ceramic layer will have a best match between the low residual stress and high thermal insulation effect. Finally, the optimized coating structure was obtained, i.e., the La2Ce2O7(LC)/YSZ/Interlayer/NiCoCrAlY coating structure with appropriate layer thickness is the best choice. The effective thermal conductivity of this optimized LC/YSZ/IL/BL TBC is 13.2% lower than that of the typical single ceramic layer YSZ/BL TBC.

Influence of “Island-Like” Oxides in the Bond-Coat on the Stress and Failure Patterns of the Thermal-Barrier Coatings Fabricated by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying During Long-Term High Temperature Oxidation

Thermal-barrier coatings (TBCs) are very important ceramic-coating materials due to their excellent performance at high temperature. The inner zone of the bond-coat is often easily endured oxidized (internal oxidation) in the process of thermal spraying and the long-time exposure to the high temperature, and the “island-like” oxides can be formed. Especially, when the bond-coat was fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS), this trend is more evident. In this paper, the stress distribution around the thermally grown oxide (TGO) has been calculated by the finite element method when the “island-like” oxides have been considered. The simulation results indicate that the maximum tensile stress and compressive stress existed in the TGO, and the existence of the “island-like” oxides will further decrease the maximum tensile stress level in the TGO. While the “island-like” oxides in the bond-coat will decrease the effective thickness of the TGO at the metallic layer/ceramic layer interface due to the oxidation of the metallic elements in the bond-coat. The crack propagation equation has been established and the failure mechanism of the TBC due to the formation and growth of the TGO has also been discussed in detail. The lifetime of the TBCs which have experienced high temperature oxidation has been predicted and the theoretical results agreed well with the experimental data.

Investigation of Crack Propagation Behavior of Atmospheric Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings under Uniaxial Tension Using the Acoustic Emission Technique

Uniaxial tension is a common technique to characterize the adhesive strength of plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). In this work, the crack initiation, growth, and propagation behavior of atmospheric plasma-sprayed TBCs during uniaxial tension testing was investigated using the acoustic emission (AE) technique, x-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and the finite-element method (FEM). The experimental results indicated that the position of crack initiation was usually located within the ceramic layer, and the crack tended to propagate along the tension direction, with some key horizontal cracks reaching the metallic layer/ceramic layer interface, after which vertical cracks initiating at the middle and lower segments of the horizontal cracks propagated along the interface. When some critical cracks were formed at the interface and a series of assembled splats separated from the coating, the coating failed completely. The AE signal could be divided into three typical stages, corresponding to the three stages of the stress–stain curve under uniaxial tension. Detailed analysis of the AE signal associated with the failure behavior was performed. The dynamic propagation patterns of the key cracks in the ceramic layer during the tension process were simulated using the FEM, whose results further confirmed the conclusions drawn from the experimental results.

Microstructure and Thermal Properties of Atmospheric Plasma-Sprayed Yb2Si2O7 Coating

In the present work, Yb2Si2O7 powder was synthesized by solid-state reaction using Yb2O3 and SiO2 powders as starting materials. Atmospheric plasma spray technique was applied to fabricate Yb2Si2O7 coating. The phase composition and microstructure of the coating were characterized. The density, open porosity and Vickers hardness of the coating were investigated. Its thermal stability was evaluated by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the coating were measured. The results showed that the as-sprayed coating was mainly composed of crystalline Yb2Si2O7 with amorphous phase. The coating had a dense structure containing defects, such as pores, interfaces and microcracks. The TG-DTA results showed that there was almost no mass change from room temperature to 1200xa0°C, while a sharp exothermic peak appeared at around 1038xa0°C in DTA curve, which indicated that the amorphous phase crystallized. The thermal conductivity of the coating decreased with rise in temperature up to 600xa0°C and then followed by an increase at higher temperatures. The minimum value of the thermal conductivity of the Yb2Si2O7 coating was about 0.68 W/(mxa0K).