HOT ISOSTATIC PRESSING OF PLASMA-SPRAYED THERMAL BARRIER COATING SYSTEMS

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are important to aerospace and high performance gas turbine engines because they help to keep the temperature experienced by the base metal low; thus, prolonging the life span of the material. Plasma spraying is a technique commonly used to deposit the ceramic-based TBC. An intermediate layer is applied to enhance the bond between the substrate and the ceramic top coat. However, the oxidation of the bond coat due to the infiltration of gas through the porous ceramic layer is a major problem encountered in TBC. This in turn leads to spalling and eventual destruction of the whole coating system. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) was performed on a number of plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating systems to investigate the effects the process has on microstructure and other physical properties. Due to the fact that the majority of TBC is exposed to thermal cycling and thermal fatigue, it is hoped that the changes brought about by HIP in the porosity and microstructure will improve the life span and performance of TBC. HIP was performed in the temperature range 750-1300 degrees C and pressures of 50-200 MPa. The bond coats that were studied include Ni-5% Al, Ni-20% Al, NiCrAl and NiCrAlY, while the ceramic coat was ZrO2-5 wt% CaO. Characterization of the coatings was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image analyser. The results showed the porosity of the coatings to be dramatically reduced to near zero levels. In addition, the other physical properties like hardness and Young's modulus increased over a wide temperature range.