Production and Characterization of Surface Preparation of Ni-base Alloy Substrates for Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings typically consist of a ceramic topcoat and a metallic bond coat that promotes adhesion and protects the substrate from corrosion. This study evaluates surface preparation processes used prior to the application of the bond coat layer. In the experiments, NiCrAlY bond coats are plasma sprayed onto Inconel substrates prepared by various methods, including dry and wet blasting and solid CO₂ cryogenic cleaning. At different points in the process, samples are extracted and characterized based on surface roughness, subsurface hardness, morphology, adhesion, interface contamination, and coating thickness and structure. Paper includes a German-language abstract.