NASA Conference Publication 10170

Thermal Barrier
Coating Workshop
Abstracts

Abstracts from proceedings of a Workshop

held at and sponsored by NASA Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, 0hio
March 27-29,1995

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Office of Management
Scientific and Technical
Information Program
 FOREWORD

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) has been the subject of intense interest as a near-term means to meet materials
requirements for next generation heat engines. While TBC has been incorporated into engines for over thirty years
and is now being used in some advanced applications, much of the development work has been empirical in nature.
The multiple challenges of higher operating temperatures, use in critical applications, and increased durability and
reliability requirements demand that numerous fundamental issues be addressed. The goals of the Thermal Barrier
Coating Workshop are to assess the state of TBC knowledge and specifically identify critical gaps in the knowledge
that hinder use in advanced applications. The Workshop goals are addressed through presentations on topics ranging
from defining the need for thermal barrier coating to the design of future coatings, and through extensive discussion
of the issues facing TBC use. The participation of both speakers and attendees should provide a broad and well
informed view of these issues.

This program contains the abstracts for the presentations in the workshop. Workshop proceedings will be mailed
to attendees shortly after the workshop.

William J. Brindley
Chairman TBC Workshop

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111
 THERMAL BARRIER COATING (TBC) ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

William J. Brindley woo Y. Lee

NASA Lewis Research Center Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Cleveland, Ohio Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Stanley J. Dapkunas John G. Goedjen

National Institute of NASA Lewis Research Center
Standards and Technology Cleveland, Ohio
Gaithersburg, Maryland

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 AGENDA
Thermal Barrier Coating Workshop
March 27-29, 1995

MONDAY, MARCH 27,1994

6:00 - 10:OO P.M. Registration - Ballroom Hallway

Reception - Canterbury/Dover Ballrooms

TUESDAY, MARCH 28,1994

7:00 A.M. Registration

Continental Breakfast - Ballroom Hallway
All presentations will be in the BassettBradley Ballrooms

8:00 A.M. Welcome

Salvatore J. Grisaffe, Director of Aerospace Technology, NASA Lewis Research Center

8: 10 A.M. Opening Remarks

W.J. Brindley, NASA Lewis Research Center

8: 15 A.M. Keynote Speaker

A Design Perspective on Thermal Barrier Coatings
F.O. Soechting, Pratt & Whitney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Overviews

8:45 A.M. Thermal Barrier Coatings for Aircraft Engines-History and Directions
R.A. Miller, NASA Lewis Research Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

9:15 A.M. Thermal Barrier Coatings Issues in Advanced Land-Based Gas Turbines
W.P. parks,* Office of Industrial Technologies, Department of Energy, and W.Y. Lee
and I.G. Wright, Oak Ridge National Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

9:45 A.M. BREAK

10:00 A.M. Measurement Methods and Standards for Processing and Application of Thermal
Barrier Coatings
S.J. Dapkunas, National Institute of Standards and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

10:30 A.M. Thermal Barrier Coatings for Diesel Engines

J.W. Fairbanks, Office of Transportation Technologies, Department of Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

*
Speaker.
vii

FHE~INr
~ ;m WINK NOT F I U ~ W
 ThermaVMechanicaYChemicaVPhvsicalProperties

8:00 A.M. Process, Properties and Environmental Response of Plasma Sprayed Thermal
Barrier Coatings
R.C. Novak, Pratt & Whitney Talon, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

8:30 A.M. Thermal Conductivity of Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings

R.B. in wid die* and S.C. Beecher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and
B.A. Nagaraj and C.S. Moore, GE Aircraft Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

9:00 A.M. Mechanical Properties Testing and Results for Thermal Bamer Coatings
T.A. cruse* and B.P. Johnsen, Vanderbilt University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

9:30 A.M. Properties of Plasma Sprayed Bond Coats

W.J. Brindley, NASA Lewis Research Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

10:OO A.M. BREAK

10:15 A.M. Thick Thermal Barrier Coatings for Diesel Engines

M.B. Beardsley, Caterpillar, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

10:45 A.M. Some Aspects of the Hot Corrosion of Thermal Bamer Coatings
R.L. Jones, Naval Research Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

11:15 A.M. Discussion

12:00 noon LUNCH

Modeling

1:00 P.M. Thermal Fracture Mechanisms in Ceramic Thermal Barrier Coatings

K. ~okini,*B.D. Choules, and Y.R. Takeuchi, Purdue University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

1:30 P.M. A Software Tool to Design Thermal Barrier Coatings

G. ~etrus*and B.L. Ferguson, Deformation Control Technology, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2:00 P.M. Thermal Barrier Coating Life Modeling in Aircraft Gas Turbine Engines
D.M. Nissley, Pratt & Whitney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

2:30 P.M. Discussion

3:15 P.M. Wrap uplidentify critical issues and directions

3:45 P.M. Adjourn

 ABSTRACTS

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 A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE ON THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS --,
- 9

l i
F.O. Soechting ,/ ,.
Pratt & Whitney
West Palm Beach, Florida
- d JS
/
ic,

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This technical paper addresses the challenges for maximizing the benefit of thermal barrier coatings for turbine
engine applications. The perspective is from a customer's viewpoint, a turbine airfoil designer, who is
continuously challenged to increase the turbine inlet temperature capability for new products while maintaining
cooling flow levels or even reducing them. This is a fundamental requirement to achieve increased engine
thrust levels. Developing advanced material systems for the turbine flowpath airfoils is one approach to solve
this challenge; such as high temperature nickel based superalloys or thermal barrier coatings to insulate the
metal airfoil from the hot flowpath environment. The second approach is to increase the cooling performance of
the turbine airfoil, which enables increased flowpath temperatures and reduced cooling flow levels.

Thexmal barrier coatings have been employed in jet engine applications for almost 30 years. The initial
application was on augmenter liners to provide thermal protection during afterburner operation. However, the
production use of thermal barrier coating in the turbine section has only occurred in the past 15 years. The
application was limited to stationary parts, and only recently incorporated on the rotating turbine blades. This
lack of endorsement of thermal barrier coatings resulted from the poor initial durability of these coatings in high
heat flux environments. Significant improvements have been made to enhance spallation resistance and erosion
resistance which has resulted in increased reliability of these coatings in turbine applications.

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 THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS FOR AIRCRAFT ENGIIWS- d-
C
H
-.
HISTORY AND DIRECTIONS a;,, - . ,

R.A. Miller 4~937

NASA Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio I'
I I

Thin thermal barrier coatings for protecting aircraft turbine section airfoils will be examined. The discussion
focusses on those advances that led first to their use for component life extension and more recently as an
integral part of airfoil design. It will be noted that development has been driven by laboratory rig and furnace
testing corroborated by engine testing and engine field experience. The technology has also been supported by
performance modeling to demonstrate benefits and life modeling for mission analysis.

Factors which have led to the selection of the current state-of-the-art plasma sprayed and physical vapor
deposited zirconia-yttriaIMCrA1Y TBCs will be emphasized as will observations fundamentally related to their
behavior.

Current directions in research into thermal barrier coatings and recent progress at NASA will also be noted.
 THERMAL BARIUER COATINGS ISSUES IN ADVANCED
LAND-BASED GAS TURBINES -
W.P. Parks
Office of Industrial Technologies
Department of Energy
,,,L>-
Washington, DC

and
,+-/'/ --1

W.Y. Lee and LG. Wright

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennesse

The Department of Energy's Advanced Turbine System (ATS) program is aimed at fostering the development of
a new generation of land-based gas turbine systems with overall efficiencies ~ i ~ c a n t beyond
ly those of
current state-of-the-art machines, as well as greatly increased times between inspection and refurbishment,
improved environmental impact, and decreased cost. The proposed duty cycle of ATS turbines will require the
use of different criteria in the design of the materials for the critical hot gas path components. In particular,
thermal barrier coatings will be an essential feature of the hot gas path components in these machines. While
such coatings are routinely used in high-performance aircraft engines and are becoming established in land-
based turbines, the requirements of the ATS turbine application are sufficiently different that significant
improvements in thermal banier coating technology will be necessary. In particular, it appears that thermal
barrier coatings will have to function on all airfoil sections of the first stage vanes and blades to provide the
significant temperature reduction required. In contrast, such coatings applied to the blades and vances of
advanced aircraft engines are intended primarily to reduce air cooling requirements and extend component
lifetime; failure of those coatings can be tolerated without jeopardizing mechanical or corrosion performance. A
major difference is that in ATS turbines these components will be totally reliant on thermal banier coatings
which will, therefore, need to be highly reliable even over the leading edges of fust stage blades. Obviously,
the ATS program provides a very challenging opportunity for TBCs, and involves some significant opportunities
to extend this technology.

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pr a c .b .
 MEASUREMENT METHODS AND STANDARDS FOR PROCESSING AND
APPLICATION OF THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS

S.J. Dapkunas
National Institute of Standards and Technology / :
/

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Application of thermal barrier coatings deposited by thermal spray, physical vapor and possibly other methods is
expected to be extended from aircraft gas turbines to industrial and utility gas turbines as well as diesel engines.
This increased usage implies the participation of greater numbers of processors and users, making the
availability of standards for process control and property measurement more important. Available standards for
processing and evaluation of thermal barrier coatings are identified as well as those needed in the future but
currently unavailable.

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 THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS APPLICATION IN DIESEL ENGINES

J.W. Fairbanks
d
,
-.j3- - ,

Office of Transportation Technologies

Department of Energy , , -
,<

Washington, DC /'
' 4 1 I1
Commercial use of thermal barrier coatings in diesel engines began in the mid 70's by Dr. Ingard Kvernes at
the Central Institute for Industrial Research in Oslo, Norway. Dr. Kvernes attributed attack on diesel engine
valves and piston crowns encountered in marine diesel engines in Norwegian ships as hot-corrosion attributed to
a reduced quality of residual fuel. His solution was to coat these components to reduce metal temperature below
the threshold of aggressive hot-comosion and also provide protection.

Roy Kamo introduced thermal barrier coatings in his "Adiabatic Diesel Engine" in the late 70's. Kamo's
concept was to eliminate the engine block water cooling system and reduce heat losses. Roy reported significant
performance improvements in his thermally insulated engine at the SAE Congress in 1982.

Kamo's work stimulates major programs with insulated engines, particularly in Europe. Most of the major diesel
engine manufacturers conducted some level of test with insulated combustion chamber components. They
initially ran into increased fuel consumption. The German engine consortium had Prof. Woschni of the
Technical Institute in Munich. Woschni conducted testing with pistons with air gaps to provide the insulation
effects. Woschni indicated the hot walls of the insulated engine created a major increase in heat transfer he
refers to as "convection vive." Woschni's work was a major factor in the abrupt curtailment of insulated diesel
engine work in continental Europe. Ricardo in the UK suggested that combustion should be reoptimized for the
hot-wall effects of the insulated combustion chamber and showed under a narrow range of conditions fuel
economy could be improved.

The Department of Energy has supported thermal barrier coating development for diesel engine applications. In
the Clean Diesel - 50 Percent Efficient (CD-50) engine for the year 2000, thermal barrier coatings will be used
on piston crowns and possibly other components. The primary purpose of the thermal bamer coatings will be to
reduce thermal fatigue as the engine peak cylinder pressure will nearly be doubled. As the coatings result in
higher available.energy in the exhaust gas, efficiency gains are achieved through use of this energy by
turbochargers, turbocompounding or thermoelectric generators.

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PAGE 10 lidTE~:-i 12; t L..
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11
 THERMAL BARRIER COATING EXPERIENCE IN THE GAS TURBINE ENGINE

S. Bose and J. DeMasi-Marcin

2 -27
Pratt and Whitney /:fF-- -+ST , .-
East Hartford. Connecticut
'-4
; , -,. ,
, <-.4

Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC), provide thermal insulation and oxidation resistance in an environment
consisting of hot combustion TBCs consist of a two layer system. The outer ceramic layer provides
good thermal insulation due to the low thermal conductivity of the ceramic coatings used, while the inner
metallic bond coat layer provides needed oxidation resistance to the underlying superalloy. Pratt & Whitney has
over a decade of experience with several generations of TBC systems on turbine airfoils. This paper will focus
on the latest TBC field experience along with a proposed durability model.
 PVD TBC EXPERIENCE ON GE AIRCRAFT ENGINES t
/,(,',- & , , . *.;
A. Bartz, A. Maricocchi, and D.J.Wortman
GE Aircraft Engines d7,v Q4 -* ,{\
Cincinnati, Ohio

The higher performance levels of modem gas turbine engines present significant challenges in the reliability of
materials in the turbine. The increased engine temperatures required to achieve the higher performance levels
reduce the strength of the materials used in the turbine sections of the engine. Various forms of Thermal
Barrier Coatings (TBCs) have been used for many years to increase the reliability of gas turbine engine
components. Recent experience with the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)process using ceramic material has
demonstrated success in extending the service life of turbine blades and nozzles. Engine test results of turbine
components with a 125 urn (0.005 in) PVD TBC have demonstrated component operating temperatures of 56-83
OC (100-150 OF) lower than uncoated components.

Engine testing has also revealed the TBC is susceptible to high angle particle impact damage. Sand particles
and other engine debris impact the TBC surface at the leading edge of airfoils and fracture the PVD columns.
As the impacting continues the TBC erodes away in local areas. Analysis of the eroded areas has shown a
slight increase in temperature over a fully coated area, however, a significant temperature reduction was realized
over an airfoil without any TBC.

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r * , i",..., IT=- . - '* - 15
 -, *
TBC EXPERIENCE IN LAND BASED GAS TURBINES "3; ,*. + ,
///, - I , .,
W.A. Nelson and R.M.Orenstein
GE Power Generation Engineering r + 9-2
Schenectady, New York 11'
This paper summarizes prior and on-going machine evaluations of TBC coatings for power generation
applications. Rainbow testing of various TBCs on turbine nozzles, shrouds and buckets are described along
with one test on combustor liners. GEPG has conducted over 15 machine tests with TBC coated turbine nozzles
of various coatings. Rainbow test times generally range between 10,000 to 24,000 hours. TBC performance
has been quite good and additional testing, including TBC's on shrouds and buckets, is continuing. The results
show that TBCs have the capability of surviving in power generation machines for the times required. The
earlier rainbow tests which evaluated various top coat compositions resulted in confirmation of the superiority of
YSZ and especially the 6-8 YSZ composition. On-going tests are more focused on TBC process and property
variations. The prevalent failure modes seen thusfar in the various rainbow tests are erosion, foreign object
damage and buildup of deposits. Additional post test analysis is required to investigate bond coat oxidation and
other timdtemperature dependent changes to the system.

Included is a brief comparison of TBC requirements for power generation and aircraft turbines.

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 PERSPECTIVE ON THERMAL BARRIER COATING FOR INDUSTFU4L
GAS TURBINE APPLICATIONS

Z.Z. Mutasim, L.L. Hsu, and W.D.Brentnall

,,
Solar Turbines Inc. / ' %

San Diego, California

I'

Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC's) have been used in high thrust aircraft engines for many years, and have
proved to be very effective in allowing higher turbine inlet temperatures. TBC life requirements for aircraft
engines are typically less than those required in industrial gas turbines. The use of TBC's for industrial gas
turbines can increase if durability and longer service life can be successfully demonstrated.

This paper will describe current and future applications of TBC's in industrial gas turbine engines. Early testing
and applications of TBC's will also be reviewed. Areas of concern from the engine designer's and materials
engineer's perspective are identified and evaluated. This paper focuses on the key factors that are expected to
influence utilization of TBC's in advanced industrial gas turbine engines. It is anticipated that reliable, durable
and highly effective coating systems will be produced that will ultimately improve engine efficiency and
performance.

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'I+ I. 18
 OVERVIEW OF THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS IN DIESEL ENGINES

T.M. Yonushonis
Cummins Engine Company, Inc.
Columbus, Indiana

An understanding of delamination mechanisms in thermal barrier coatings has been developed for diesel
applications through nondestructive evaluation, structural analysis modeling and engine evaluation of various
thermal bamer coatings. This lcnowledge has resulted in improved thermal barrier coatings which survive
abusive cyclic fatigue tests in high output diesel engines. Significant efforts are still required to improve the
plasma spray processing capability and the economics for complex geometry diesel engine components.

Data obtained from advanced diesel engines on the effect of thermal barrier coatings on engine fuel economy
and emissions has not been encouraging. Although the underlying metal component temperatures have been
reduced through the use of the thermal barrier coating, engine efficiency and emission trends have not been
promising.
 THERMAL SPRAY PROCESSING ,?<.-:>- ,/*-*
d'
H. Herman and C.C. Berndt ~ , / y + .G
i
State University of New York
Stony Brook, New York IP
Thermal spray processing has been used for a number of years to cost-effectively apply TBCs for a wide range
of heat engine applications. In particular, bond coats are applied by plasma spray and HVOF techniques and
partially-stabilized zirconia top coats are applied by plasma spray methods. Themal spray involves melting and
rapid transport of the molten particles to the substrate, where high-rate solidification and coating build-up occur.
It is the very nature of this melt processing that leads to the unique layered microstructure, as well as the
apparent imperfections, so readily identified with thermal spray. Modeling the process, process-induced residual
stresses, and thermal conductivity will be discussed in light of a new understanding of porosity and its
anisotropy. Microcracking can be understood using new approaches, allowing a fuller view of the processing-
performance connection. Detailed electron microscopic, novel neutron diffraction and fracture analysis of the
deposits can lead to a better understanding of how overall microstructure can be controlled to influence critical
properties of the deposited TBC system.

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 &-'if 7
l
PVD TBC APPLICATIONS AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT FOR AIR- ENGINES

D.V. Rigney, R. Viguie and D.J. Wortman

GE Aircraft Engines
Cincinnati, Ohio

Abstract not available at time of printing.

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;,,>,,% '-2.q-.. .
&Zap ,, , . , I 25
 C
JET ENGINE APPLICATIONS FOR MATERIALS WlTH "/;? -,'7
NANOMETER-SCALE DIMENSIONS fi~~z-
J.W. Appleby, Jr.
Pratt & Whitney
West Palm Beach, Florida

The performance of advanced military and commercial gas turbine engines is often linked to advances in
materials technology. High performance gas turbine engines being developed require major material advances
in strength, toughness, reduced density and improved temperature capability. The emerging technology of
nanostructured materials has enormous potential for producing materials with significant improvements in these
properties. Extraordinary properties demonstrated in the laboratory include material strengths approaching
theoretical limit, ceramics that demonstrate ductility and toughness, and materials with ultra-high hardness.
Nanostructured materials and coatings have the potential for meeting future gas turbine engine requirements for
improved performance,' reduced weight and lower fuel consumption.

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I! db.--
 PROCESS, PROPERTIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE OF PLASMA
SPRAYED THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS

R.C. Novak
- -
Pratt & Whitney Talon, Inc. /it.& J/J- -,
Rocky Hill,Connecticut if
&Y+i J
Experimental results are shown which demonstrate that the properties of plasma sprayed fully stabilized zirconia
are strongly influenced by the process parameters. Properties of the coatings in the as-sprayed condition are
shown to be additionally influenced by environmental exposure. This behavior is dependent on raw material
considerations and processing conditions as well as exposure time and temperature.

Process control methodology is described which can take into consideration these complex interactions and help
to produce thermal barrier coatings in a cost effective way while meeting coating technical requirements.

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PAC;F At \!''E:til. . 1 -
 THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF ZIRCONIA THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS

R.B. Dinwiddie and S.C. Beecher

Oak Ridge National Laboratory ~ 7
2 ; -2
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

and

B.A. Nagaraj and C.S. Moore

GE Aircraft Engines
Cincinnati, Ohio

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) applied to the hot gas components of turbine engines lead to enhanced fuel
efficiency and component reliability. Understanding the mechanisms which control the thermal transport
behavior of the TBCs is of primary importance. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) and plasma spraying (PS) are
the two most commonly used coating techniques. These techniques produce coatings with unique
microstructures which control their performance and stability. The PS coatings were applied with either
standard powder or hollow sphere parhcles. The hollow sphere particles yielded a lower density and lower
thermal conductivity coating. The thermal conductivity of both fully and partially stabilized zirconia, before and
after thennal aging, will be compared. The thermal conductivity of the coatings permanently increases upon
exposed to high temperatures. These increases are attributed to microstructural changes within the coatings.
Sintering of the as fabricated plasma sprayed lamellar structure is observed by scanning electron microscopy of
coatings isothermally heat treated at temperatures greater than 1100°C. During this sintering process the planar
porosity between lamella is converted to a series of small spherical pores. The change in pore morphology is
the primary reason for the observed increase in thermal conductivity. This increase in thermal conductivity can
be modeled using a relationship which depends on both the temperature and time of exposure. Although the
PVD coatings are less susceptible to thermal aging effects, preliminary results suggest that they have a higher
thermal conductivity than PS coatings, both before and after thermal aging. The increases in thermal
conductivity due to thermal aging for partially stabilized plasma sprayed zirconia have been found to be less
than for fully stabilized plasma sprayed zirconia coatings. The high temperature thermal diffusivity data
indicate that if these coatings reach a temperature above 1100°C during operation, they will begin to lose their
effectiveness as a thermal barrier.

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.F;,.T -- -- -* ,
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES TESTING AND RESULTS FOR
9.3
-27
THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS

T.A. Cruse and B.P. Johnsen

Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC's) provide a significant challenge in the evaluation of their mechanical
properties in ways that provide data that is not specimen dependent. The paper reviews various developments
of the principal author over the past several years for both plasma sprayed and physical vapor deposited (PVD)
materials, as well as new data on the fatigue behavior of one material system. The test methods that have been
employed address tensile and compressive modulus and ultimate strength, tensile and compressive fatigue
strength, and interfacial strength, which testing is now underway.

Property testing is especially difficult for TBC's owing to the limitation on fabrication thickness of the coating.
Bending tests are not used as these tests do not provide suffciently uniform,states of strain for property
evaluations. Test specimens with uniform states of axial stress have been devised for each material system.
The results show that the material property results between various experimentors and experimental methods are
not yet consistent. However, the results provide critical design data at a suitable level of accuracy for life
prediction.

The paper will review both tensile and compressive mechanical testing of uniaxial specimens showing property
dependencies on material density and temperatures for both material systems. Successful test results for both
tensile and compressive fatigue loadings will be given. The test data shows that the fatigue strength of the
TBC's is highly stress dependent in both loading conditions and is likely to depend on stress range and not
mean stress. The fatigue strength of the plasma sprayed TBC's appears to increase with elevated temperatures
in a range of temperatures below the creep activation temperature for the materials. The plasma sprayed TBC
materials have been confirmed to have cyclic hysteresis at all temperature levels down to room temperature.
Limited failure analysis data for various specimens suggest that the failure modes are driven by normal
geometric discontinuities in the TBC's.

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-j ? 3&.
 PROPERTIES OF PLASMA SPRAYED BOND COATS 3,& v2 <?

W.J. Brindley
NASA Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio

Increasing bond coat oxidation resistance has been clearly linked to increasing durability of the ceramic layer of
TBCs. However, recent studies have shown that signifcant differences in TBC life can be achieved for
different bond coats that have little or no difference in oxidation behavior. These results suggest bond coat
properties other than oxidation resistance can also influence TBC life. A determination of which properties
affect TBC life and an understanding of how these properties affect TBC life could be valuable in designing
new, more durable TBCs. Unfortunately, there is little existing information on the physical and mechanical
properties of bond coat materials and there are fewer comparative studies that can be used to determine which
properties are important to TBC life. This paper compares the properties of three bond coat compositions that
have similar oxidation behavior but different TBC lives. Analysis of the properties indicates that the coefficient
of thermal expansion and stress relaxation (creep) behavior of the three alloys are strongly correlated to the
observed differences in TBC life.

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i-2, . 34 35
 THICK THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS FOR DIESEL ENGINES -9

M.B. Beardsley
Caterpillar, Inc. / p,. ,,)- f
Peoria, Illinois
+.,,+2A-
Caterpillar's approach to applying Thick Thermal Banier Coatings (TIBCs) to diesel engine combustion
/'*
/c
chambers has been to use advanced modeling techniques to predict engine conditions and combine this
information with fundamental property evaluation of TTBC systems to predict engine performance and TTBC
stress states. Engine testing has been used to verify the predicted performance of the TTBC systems and
provide information on failure mechanisms.

The objective Caterpillar's subcontract with ORNL is to advance the fundamental understanding of thick
thermal barrier coating systems. Previous reviews of thermal banier coating technology concluded that the
current level of understanding of coating system behavior is inadequate and the lack of fundamental
understanding may impede the application of TTBC's to diesel engines.

Areas of TTBC technology being examined in this program include powder characteristics and chemistry; bond
coat composition; coating design, microstructure, and thickness as they affect properties, durability, and
reliability; and TTBC "aging" effects (microstructural and property changes) under diesel engine operating
conditions. Methods to evaluate the reliability and durability of TTBCs have been developed that attempt to
understand the fundamental strength of TTBCs for particular stress states.

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36 37
 SOME ASPECTS OF THE HOT CORROSION OF THERMAL BARRER COATINGS

R.L. Jones 5 8>7

Naval Research Laboratory
Washington, DC S
,*;/ <, 4j&e-

*2v33 /I2
This paper provides a pro tern review of the hot corrosion of zirconia-based thermal barrier coatings for engine
applications. Emphasis is placed on trying to understand the chemical reactions, and such other mechanisms as
can be identified, that cause corrosive degradation of the thermal bamer coating. The various approaches taken
in attempts to improve the hot corrosion resistance of thermal barrier coatings are also briefly described and
critiqued.

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PAGE -3%- I[~!T~-?!,- . <I(,
39
 r ,--7
/'
THERMAL FRACTURE MECHANISMS IN CERAMIC THERMAL #+

BARRIER COATINGS

K. Kokini, B.D. Choules, and Y.R Takeuchi 4 4 ~ 5 i J

Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana / I??'
Ceramic thermal bamer coatings represent an attractive method of increasing the high temperature limits for
systems such as diesel engines, gas turbines and aircraft engines. However, the dissimilarities between ceramics
and metal, as well as the severe temperature gradients applied in such systems, cause thermal stresses which can
lead to cracking and ultimately spalling of the coating. This paper reviews the research which considers
initiation of surface cracks, interfacial edge cracks and the effect of a transient thermal load on interface cracks.
The results of controlled experiments together with analytical models are presented. The implications of these
findings to the differences between diesel engines and gas turbines are discussed. The importance of such work
for determining the proper design criteria for thermal bamer coatings is underlined.
 A SOFTWARE TOOL TO DESIGN THERMAL BAREUER COATINGS

&Q-27
G. Petrus and B.L.Ferguson
Deformation Control Technology, Inc.
Cleveland, Ohio
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This paper summarizes work completed for a NASA Phase I SBIR program which demonstrated the feasibility
of developing a software tool to aid in the design of thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems. Toward this goal,
three tasks were undertaken and completed. Task 1 involved the development of a database containing the
pertinent thermal and mechanical property data for the top coat, bond coat and substrate materials that comprise
a TBC system. Task 2 involved the development of an automated set-up program for generating two
dimensional (2D) finite element models of TBC Systems. Most importantly, Task 3 involved the generation of
a rule base to aid in the design of a TBC system. These rules were based on a factorial design of experiments
involving FEM results, and were generated using a Yates analysis. A previous study has indicated the
suitability and benefit of applying finite element analysis to perform computer based experiments to decrease
but not eliminate physical experiments on TBC's. This program proved feasibility by expanding on these
findings by developing a larger knowledgebase and developing a procedure to extract rules to aid in TBC
design.
 2- .- - . -
THERMAL BARRIER COATING LIFE MODELING IN ADRCRAFT
GAS TURBINE ENGINES
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D.M. Nissley
Pratt & Whitney aP'-
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East Hartford, Connecticut I ..
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Analytical models useful for predicting ceramic thermal barrier coating (TBC) spalling life in aircraft gas turbine
engines are presented. Electron beam-physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) and plasma sprayed TBC systems are
discussed. TBC spalling was attributed to a combination of mechanisms such as metal oxidation at the ceramic-
metal interface, ceramic-metal interface stress concentrations at free surfaces due to dissimilar materials,
ceramic-metal interface stresses caused by local radius of curvature and interface roughness, material properties
and mechanicaI behavior, transient temperature gradients across the ceramic layer and component design
features. TBC spalling life analytical models were developed based on observations of TBC failure modes and
plausible failure theories. TBC failure was assumed to occur when the imposed stresses exceeded the material
strength (at or near the ceramic-metal interface). TBC failure knowledge gaps caused by lack of experimental
evidence and analytical understanding are noted. The analytical models are considered initial engineering
approaches that capture observed TBC failure trends.

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Mar 95