A thermal barrier coating (TBC) system subjected to thermal cycling will develop a microcrack partem near the interface between the metallic bond coat and the ceramic top coat. These small cracks link up and form internal TBC delaminations during repeated heating / cooling. After a longer time period, the internal delamination cracks will form a larger spallation damage, where the TBC is detached from the underlying material. Since cracks are initiated in multiple sites of the thermal barrier coating, the damage is initially considered to be governed by local stress conditions. The purpose of the present work is to compare experimental data with predictions of a physically based fatigue life model. The present study has been performed on plasma-sprayed TBCs where the interface geometry has been varied. In the present work, calculation of fatigue life is done for a number of cases under thermal fatigue loading. Different interface geometries are compared in order to understand the influence of variations in the TC/BC interface roughness on oxidation behaviour and thermal fatigue life. Thermal fatigue tests indicate that an increased surface roughness is beneficial from a fatigue life point of view.

The adhesion of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) has been studied using the standard method described in ASTM C633, which makes use of a tensile test machine to measure the adhesion. The studied specimens consist of air plasma sprayed (APS) TBC deposited on disc-shaped substrate coupons of Ni-base alloy Hastelloy X. The bond coat (BC) is of a NiCoCrAlY type and the top coat (TC) consists of yttria–stabilised–zirconia. Before the adhesion test, the specimens were subjected to three different heat treatments: 1) isothermal oxidation at 1100 °C up to 290 h, 2) thermal cycling fatigue (TCF) at 1100 °C up to 300 cycles and 3) thermal shock at ~ 1140 °C BC/TC interface temperature up to 1150 cycles. The adhesion of the specimens is reported and accompanied by a microstructural study of the BC and the thermally grown oxides (TGO), as well as a discussion on the influence of BC/TC interfacial damage on adhesion properties of TBC. The adhesion was found to vary with heat treatment, as well as with heat treatment length.

The fracture surfaces from adhesion tested thermal barrier coatings (TBC) have been studied by scanning electron microscopy. The adhesion test have been made using the standard method described in ASTM 633, which makes use of a tensile test machine to measure the adhesion. The studied specimens consist of air plasma sprayed (APS) TBC deposited on disc-shaped substrates of Hastelloy X. The bond coat (BC) is of NiCoCrAlY type and the top coat (TC) consists of yttria–stabilised–zirconia. Before the adhesion test, the specimens were subjected to three different heat treatments: 1) isothermal oxidation 2) thermal cycling fatigue (TCF) and 3) burner rig test (BRT). The fracture surfaces of the adhesion tested specimens where characterised. A difference in fracture mechanism were found for the different heat treatments. Isothermal oxidation gave fracture mainly in the top coat while the two cyclic heat treatments gave increasing amount of BC/TC interface fracture with number of cycles. Some differences could also be seen between the specimens subjected to burner rig test and furnace cycling.

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are used in gas turbines to protect metallic components from high temperature. In the present study adhesion tests have been conducted on APS TBC coated specimens subjected to different heat treatments. Isothermal and cyclic heat treatments have been conducted at temperatures around 1100 °C and the adhesion have been tested using the method described in ASTM C633. The fracture surfaces resulting from the adhesion test have been investigated and the fracture behavior has been characterized. A difference in fracture mechanism between the three heat treatments has been found. The two cyclic heat treatments give fracture in the top coat/bond coat interface while isothermal heat treatment gives fracture in the top coat.