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The effects of microstructure design on the lifetime performance of lanthanum zirconate (La 2 Zr 2 O 7 ; LZO)-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were investigated through various thermal exposure tests, such as furnace cyclic thermal fatigue, thermal shock, and jet engine thermal shock. To improve the thermal durability of LZO-based TBCs, composite top coats using two feedstock powders of LZO and 8 wt.% yttria-doped stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) were prepared by mixing in different volume ratios (50:50 and 25:75, respectively). In addition, buffer layers were introduced in layered LZO-based TBCs deposited using an air-plasma spray method. The TBC with the double buffer layer showed the best thermal cycle performance among all samples in all tests. For applications with relatively slow cooling rates, the thermal durability in single-layer TBCs is more effectively enhanced by controlling a composition ratio in the blended powder, better than introducing a single buffer layer. For applications with relatively fast cooling rates, the thermal durability can be effectively improved by introducing a buffer layer than controlling a composition in the top coat, since the buffer layer provides fast localized stress relief due to its high strain compliance. These research findings allow us to control the TBC structure, and the buffer layer is efficient in improving thermal durability in cyclic thermal environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack-growth behavior in yttria-stabilized zirconia-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is investigated through a cyclic thermal fatigue (CTF) test to understand TBCs' failure mechanisms. Initial cracks were introduced on the coatings' top surface and cross section using the micro-indentation technique. The results show that crack length in the surface-cracked TBCs grew parabolically with the number of cycles in the CTF test. Failure in the surface-cracked TBC was dependent on the initial crack length formed with different loading levels, suggesting the existence of a threshold surface crack length. For the cross section, the horizontal crack length increased in a similar manner as observed in the surface. By contrast, in the vertical direction, the crack did not grow very much with CTF testing. An analytical model is proposed to explain the experimentally-observed crack-growth behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel thermal barrier coating (TBC) system is proposed that embeds silicon particles in coating as a crack-healing agent. The healing agent is encapsulated to avoid unintended reactions and premature oxidation. Thermal durability of the developed TBCs is evaluated through cyclic thermal fatigue and jet engine thermal shock tests. Moreover, artificial cracks are introduced into the buffer layer's cross section using a microhardness indentation method. Then, the indented TBC specimens are subject to heat treatment to investigate their crack-resisting behavior in detail. The TBC specimens with the embedded healing agents exhibit a relatively better thermal fatigue resistance than the conventional TBCs. The encapsulated healing agent protects rapid large crack openings under thermal shock conditions. Different crack-resisting behaviors and mechanisms are proposed depending on the embedding healing agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of structural design on the thermal durability and fracture behavior of Yb-Gd-Y-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were investigated through thermal cyclic exposure tests, such as furnace cyclic thermal fatigue (FCTF) and jet engine thermal shock (JETS) tests. The effects of composition in the bond coat and feedstock purity for the buffer layer on its lifetime performance were also examined. To overcome the drawbacks of Yb-Gd-Y-based material with inferior thermal durability due to poor mechanical properties and low coefficient of thermal expansion, a buffer layer was introduced in the Yb-Gd-Y-based TBC systems. In FCTF tests, the TBCs with the buffer layer showed a longer lifetime performance than those without the buffer layer, showing the longest thermal durability in the TBC with the Co-Ni-based bond coat and the buffer layer of regular purity. In JETS tests, the TBC with the Ni-based bond coat and the buffer layer of high purity showed a sound condition after 2000 cycles, showing better thermal durability for TBC with the Co-Ni-based bond coat rather than that with the Ni-based bond coat in the single layer coating without the buffer layer. The buffer layer effectively enhanced the thermal durability in slow temperature change (in the FCTF test), while the bond-coat composition and the feedstock purity for the buffer layer were found to be important factor to improve the thermal durability of the TBC in fast temperature change (in the JEET test). Finally, these research findings allow us to control the structure, composition, and feedstock purity in TBC system for improving the thermal durability in cyclic thermal environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]