Within Surface and Coating Technologies, the High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process generates significant peening stresses due to the impact at high velocity of semi molten particles onto the substrate. The level of high kinetic and thermal energy of impinging particles is a key-parameter to understand how residual stresses build up through the whole system during spraying, and to which extend these stresses influence the resulting coating adhesion strength. While an appropriate combination of thermal and peening stresses is beneficial to the deposit bonding, no systematic study has been carried out to determine their respective amplitudes. A numerical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been developed to isolate peening stresses from thermal stresses developed into the substrate target, after successive impacts of single particle. The investigation is performed on Inconel 718 feedstock material HVOF sprayed on Inconel 718 substrate. The relationship between the developed stress state at the substrate interface and the impinging particle temperature and velocity is given a particular interest.

The effects from thermal shock loading on pre-existing microcracks within thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been investigated through a finite element based fracture mechanical analysis. The TBC system consists of a metallic bond coat and a ceramic top coat. The rough interface between the top and bond coats holds an alumina oxide layer. Stress concentrations at the interface due to the interface roughness as well as the effect of residual stresses were accounted for. At eventual closure between the crack surfaces, Coulomb friction was assumed. To judge the risk of fracture from edge cracks and centrally placed cracks, the stress intensity factors were continuously monitored during simulation of thermal shock loading of the TBC. It was found that fracture from edge cracks is more likely than from centrally placed cracks. It was also concluded that propagation of an edge crack is initiated already during the first load cycle whereas the crack tip position of a central crack determines whether or not propagation will occur.

Microcracks in thermal barrier coatings are inherent from the plasma spraying process. Such cracks might constitute a threat to the coating. The influence of pre-existing cracks in the global direction of the interface between the bond coat and the top coat on the risk of delamination is addressed through finite element simulations. Stress concentrations at the interface due to the roughness of the plasma sprayed bond coat are accounted for by a sinusoidal interface. The effect of oxidation of the bond coat is modelled by including a thin oxide layer between the ceramic coat and the bond coat. It was found that the crack tip position of pre-existing cracks, as well as the presence of an oxide layer, significantly influences the risk of delamination. As the oxide thickness increases, the risk of crack propagation increases. It is also found that not all pre-existing cracks can propagate. For some crack tip locations, the crack remains closed during the entire loading sequence.

A method for creation of a process window for on-line monitoring and controlling of the particle velocity and temperature during plasma spraying in order to enable desired coating microstructure is presented. The desired coating is specified by determination of the ranges within which the different microstructure features and the powder deposition efficiency are allowed to vary. Multiple linear regression models, relating the particle velocity and particle temperature to the coating criterions is utilized to successively delimit the particle velocity and temperature ranges. This results in a process window, giving the limits within which the particle velocity and temperature are allowed to vary in order for the desired coating to be produced.

To determine the effect of bond coat oxidation on the coating life, thermal shock testing were performed, using three different thermal cycles. The failure mode and crack paths were investigated in scanning electron microscope. A finite element model was developed to simulate the thermal shock tests. First, transient temperature fields during the thermal cycling were calculated. Second, stresses and strains evolving in the coatings due to thermal expansion mismatches and temperature gradients during the cycling were computed. The stress concentration at the interface due to the roughness of the bond coat was accounted for by using an ideal sinusoidal interface in the model. By adding an oxide layer with and without residual stresses to the model, the influence of the bond coat oxidation was determined. Both the experimental and numerical results revealed that the TBC failed by crack initiating in the ceramic top coat very close to the grown oxide layer at the interface followed by coating fatigue failure. Numerical simulation indicated that bond coat oxidation led to stress concentration at the peak of the asperity of the interface proceeding crack growth. It also showed that bond coat inelasticity and ceramic creep might further enhance the crack growth. There was little effect on coating behavior due to the residual stresses in the oxide layer.

Plasma spraying is a very complex process, controlled by a large number of process parameters. The spray gun parameters control the plasma plume and thereby the velocity and temperature of the particles in the plasma. Some of the spray gun parameters are difficult or impossible to control, but variations of them give rise to fluctuations in the microstructure of the sprayed thermal barrier coating and thereby low reproducibility. By movement of the control from the spray gun to direct control of the particle properties in the plasma this problem will be avoided, and it should result in better process control, higher quality of the final coating and thus improved reproducibility. In this study, the influence of the plasma spray process on the coating microstructure was investigated. An orthogonal factorial designed experiment was performed, where eight process parameters were varied, resulting in 16 different coatings. The particle properties were observed in-situ with the optical measurement system DPV 2000. The microstructure of the coatings was studied using optical microscopy and the amount of different features, i.e. cracks and pores, was quantified. Multiple linear regression was used to find models describing the relation between the spray gun parameters and the particle properties, between the spray gun parameters and the microstructure, and between the particle properties and the microstructure. The results showed that the spray gun parameters well describe the variation in particle velocity and particle temperature. Further, it was found that particle velocity, particle temperature, spray angle, and substrate temperature are the most important parameters concerning influence on the coating microstructure. However, their influence on the different microstructure features varied. The study implies that focus can be set on one or two particle properties measured in the plasma, instead of the numerous spray gun parameters.

A straight-forward method for calculating the stress intensity factors (or the energy release rate and mode mixity) for interfacial cracks in bi-materials has been developed. An existing method for homogeneous materials, based on the computation of the energy release rate from the nodal forces and displacements given by a finite element analysis, was modified to include the mismatch in material properties. Thick thermal barrier coatings usually fail as a result of cracking near the interface. The influence of the thickness and the edge angle of the coating on the energy release rate and mode mixity for a small edge crack at the interface of a TBC system subjected to thermal loading was investigated. It was established that the high energy release rates obtained for thick coatings can be reduced by decreasing the edge angle of the coating. Additionally a comparison with energy release rates given by J-integral computations has been done.

Thermal barriers made up by a ceramic top coating and a metallic bond coating are subjected to thermal cycles in service. The thermal stresses vary during the cycles and the residual stresses change as a result of plastic flow and creep. The stress state in thermal barrier coatings during a thermal cycle has been examined with a finite element method using temperature dependent material data. The calculated results were verified by measurements of the residual stresses with the layer removal technique before and after cycling of specimens heated in furnace with air environment. According to the simulation of a thermal cycle to 700 ° C, using a finite element method, the bond coat is approximately stress free after 1 hour dwell time. Thus, the residual stresses after a thermal cycle is a result of thermal expansion mismatch and temperature drop.

Thermal barrier coatings with a zirconia top coating and a NiCoCrAlY bond coating were plasma sprayed onto a nickelbase alloy. The pre-heating of the bond coated substrates and the cooling during the top coating spraying were varied to produce five different spray sets. A finite element model was developed to predict the heat transfer and the resulting thermal stresses during the spraying. A layer removal technique was used to measure the residual stresses in the as-sprayed samples. The measurements revealed low residual stresses in the top coatings and tensile stresses in the order of 150 MPa in the bond coating. A correlation between the measured top coating residual stresses and the substrate temperature in the end of the top coating spraying was found. In general, good agreement between modelled and measured residual stresses was found. The top coatings were found to contain vertical microcracks and the densities of the cracks were point-counted in the spray sets. A slight increase in microcrack densities was found as the spraying was performed onto a colder substrate. The densities of vertical microcracks were correlated to modelled in-elastic strain in the top coatings.