Microstructure-Property Correlations in Industrial Thermal Barrier Coatings

Published

July 1, 2004

Author(s)

A Kulkarni, A N. Goland, H Herman, Andrew J. Allen, J Ilavsky, Gabrielle G. Long, C A. Johnson, J A. Ruud

Abstract

This paper describes the results from multidisciplinary characterization/scattering techniques employed for the quantitative characterization of industrial thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems used in advanced gas turbines. While past requirements for TBCs primarily addressed the function of insulation/life extension of the metallic components, new demands necessitate a requirement for spallation resistance/strain tolerance, i.e., prime reliance, on the part of the TBC. In an extensive effort to incorporate these TBCs, a design-of-experiment approach was undertaken to develop coatings under varied processing conditions. Conventional plasma spray processing produces splat-based layered structures providing excellent thermal insulation; however, the lack of in-plane compliance leads to premature delamination failure during thermo-mechanical cycling under oxidative conditions. Efforts focusing on achieving such durable/high performance coatings led to Dense Vertically Cracked (DVC) TBCs, exhibiting quasi-columnar microstructures approximating electron beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) coatings. This study involves comprehensive characterization of these coatings, to establish relationships between microstructure and properties in a systemataic manner.

Citation

Journal of the American Ceramic Society

Volume

87

Issue

No. 7

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

microstructure characterization, small angle scattering, strain tolerance, thermal barrier coatings, thermal conductivity

Citation

Kulkarni, A. , Goland, A. , Herman, H. , Allen, A. , Ilavsky, J. , Long, G. , Johnson, C. and Ruud, J. (2004), Microstructure-Property Correlations in Industrial Thermal Barrier Coatings, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=850690 (Accessed October 13, 2025)