Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of VC and Columnar Structured Thermal Barrier Coatings Deposited by Suspension Plasma Spray Technology

The effects of different thermal barrier coating (TBC) top coat structures and substrate alloys on the isothermal oxidation behaviors of TBC systems were investigated at 1080 °C in lab air. The tested TBC systems consisted of two nickel-based superalloy substrates (CMSX-4 and IN738LC), a platinum aluminide bond coat and two 8YSZ top coats (vertical cracked and columnar structured). Samples with IN738LC substrate demonstrated longer isothermal oxidation lives than the counterparts with CMSX-4 substrate. Outward refractory elemental diffusion in coating systems with CMSX-4 substrate and void formation at the interface between thermally grown oxide and bond coat was found to be responsible for the early failure of TBCs. Columnar structured YSZ top coat seemed to provide better protection of the bond coating and substrate, marginally delaying the failure of the both coating systems with IN738LC and CMSX-4.