Plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings are highly insulating due to intersplat pores. High-temperature exposure, however, leads to pore healing and a loss of thermal insulating capability. Previous sintering models based on the healing of iso-thick pores cannot explain the ultrafast sintering kinetics observed during the initial sintering stage. To better understand the sintering process and the kinetics of pore healing, a study was conducted on the changes that occur at the interfaces between lamellae at high temperatures. It was found that splat surfaces develop multiscale convexes, forming bridges between adjacent splats that significantly accelerate pore healing. This model explains the fast sintering kinetics of the initial sintering stage and presents new opportunities to further tailor the sintering kinetics of YSZ coatings and thereby improve TBC performance.

Thermally grown oxide (TGO) that naturally forms on bond coat surfaces plays an important role in determining the lifetime of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Splashed particles on thermally sprayed MCrAlY bond coat surfaces are weakly bonded to the underlying bulk coating, leading to the formation of mixed oxides that contribute to TBC failure. In this study, various heat treatments are used to modify the weakly bonded splashed particles on LPPS CoNiCrAlY bond coats in order to restrain the formation of mixed oxides and prevent associated failures.

In this study, La 2 Zr 2 O 7 coatings produced by atmospheric plasma spraying were heated to 1300°C for up to 100 h. Residual pores in the coatings were characterized by SEM. Porosity was found to decrease with increasing sintering duration, although large pores still existed after 100 h. The relationship between the opening of residual pores and sintering time was closely analyzed and is described in detail. The results presented in the paper can inform the design of pores that endow TBCs with higher sintering resistance.

Thermal cycling tests were performed on thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to evaluate the influence of temperature gradients in the ceramic topcoat on overall lifetime and performance. The coating system tested consists of an Inconel 738 substrate, a cold-sprayed NiCoCrAlTaY bond coat, and an atmospheric plasma sprayed YSZ topcoat. YSZ surface temperatures were 1150, 1200, and 1250 °C, corresponding to temperature gradients of 150, 200, and 250 °C across the 250 µm thick layer. Heating and cooling times were set at 120 sec for each thermal cycle. The results of the study show that lifetime decreases with increasing temperature gradient, although the gradient has little effect on the failure mode.