Abstract
Atmospherically sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are nowadays an essential part in modern gas turbines. However, a design integrated use of these coatings is only possible with reliable lifetime models. In this paper, a model is outlined which describes the major failure in TBCs associated with the growth of a thermally grown oxide (TGO) on the bond coat (BC). An essential part of the model is a simplified description of the crack growth as a result of thermal cycling and TGO growth. In addition, the energy release rate for the system is calculated and compared to an estimated critical energy release rate reduced by the crack growth. If both are equal, failure is assumed. The results of the modeling are compared to thermal cycling experiments partly applying a thermal gradient. BC temperatures and also microstructures of the ceramic topcoat have been varied and the influence on the cyclic life studied.
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Acknowledgments
The support of Dr. Franziska Träger and especially of Dr. Jose Marques for performing Ansys calculations of the stress state and developing an analytical formula to describe the results are gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks to Dr. Jürgen Malzbender, IEF-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, for performing the indentation tests for the determination of Young’s moduli. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the work of Mrs. Sigrid Schwartz-Lückge for carrying out scanning electron microscopy, of Mr. Karl-Heinz Rauwald, Mr. Frank Vondahlen, and Mr. Ralf Laufs for the manufacturing of the TBC systems, and of Mrs. Dr. Doris Sebold for SEM work and fruitful discussion on the oxidation test results. Also many thanks to Mrs. Nicole Hilgers for the thermal cycling work. The presented results have partly been made within a German research project MARCKO—thermal barrier coating systems, financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.
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Vaßen, R., Giesen, S. & Stöver, D. Lifetime of Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings: Comparison of Numerical and Experimental Results. J Therm Spray Tech 18, 835–845 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-009-9389-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-009-9389-z