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Microstructure and Properties of Porous Abradable Alumina Coatings Flame-Sprayed with Semi-molten Particles

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Abstract

High-efficiency gas turbines require high-temperature sealing by use of abradable porous ceramic coatings to increase engine efficiency. In this study, porous Al2O3 coatings were deposited by flame spraying; the coatings were applied in a semi-molten state by controlled melting of the sprayed powder particles. The effects of the degree of melting of the sprayed particles, which depends on spraying conditions, on coating microstructure and porosity were investigated. The degree of melting of the sprayed particles was characterized by use of 3D confocal laser microscopy. The porosity of the coating was estimated by image analysis. The results showed that the degree of melting of alumina particles can be changed from 70 to 30%, and thus coating porosity can be increased from 30% up to over 70%. The standard hardness test yielded no useful data for porous coatings deposited by use of sprayed particles with a degree of melting <60%, and a hardness of 32–75 HR15Y for Al2O3 coatings deposited by use of sprayed particles with a degree of melting >60%. Pin-on-disk abrasion tests, performed at room temperature by use of an Inconel 738 (IN738) nickel-based superalloy pin with a spherical tip 5 mm in diameter, were conducted on the porous alumina coating to evaluate its abrasion behavior. It was found that for coatings of hardness <32 HR15Y and porosity >40% the wear weight loss of the IN738 pin was negligible despite the high rate of wear of the coating. It is evident that flame-sprayed porous alumina coatings of high porosity prepared by this approach have potential for use as abradable coatings for gas turbines operating at high temperatures.

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Acknowledgments

This project was financially supported by the Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (grant no. 20120201130002) and the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB625100). The authors are grateful for the support from the European Program Marie Curie IPACTS (no. 268696).

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Correspondence to Chang-Jiu Li.

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This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the 2015 International Thermal Spray Conference, held May 11–14, 2015, in Long Beach, California, USA, and has been expanded from the original presentation.

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Li, CJ., Zou, J., Huo, HB. et al. Microstructure and Properties of Porous Abradable Alumina Coatings Flame-Sprayed with Semi-molten Particles. J Therm Spray Tech 25, 264–272 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-015-0287-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-015-0287-2

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