Effects of deposition temperature and thermal cycling on residual stress state in zirconia-based thermal barrier coatings

Advanced ceramic multilayered coatings are commonly used as protective coatings for engine metal components to improve performance, e.g. thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Zirconia-based TBCs were produced by plasma spraying process and characterized in terms of microstructure, porosity, elastic modulus, adherence and residual stresses. In this contribution the residual stresses in multilayered coatings applied on Ni based superalloys for use as thermal barrier coatings were studied both by numerical modelling and experimental stress measurement. The thermal residual stresses generated during the spraying process of duplex TBCs were simulated by using an heat transfer finite element program and an elasto-plastic biaxial stress model. The TBC system was subjected to different thermal cycling conditions (maximum temperature, heating up and cooling down rates, dwell time at maximum temperature, etc.). The stress distribution within the TBC was also modelled after thermal cycling. The stress state in the as-deposited and in thermally cycled coatings was verified using an X-ray diffraction technique. The measurements were in good agreement with the residual stress modelled calculations. It was observed that the residual stresses were dependent on the thermal history of the TBC (as-deposited and thermally cycled). It is proposed that thermal cycling allowed the stresses to relax by microcracking and creep mechanisms at high temperature such that on cooling down to room temperature, an in-plane biaxial compressive stress will arise on the zirconia top coating due to the difference on the coefficients of thermal expansion between the metallic substrate and ceramic coating material. (orig.)