Use of a liquid feedstock in thermal spraying (an alternative to the conventional solid powder feedstock) is receiving an increasing level of interest due to its capability to produce the advanced submicrometer/nanostructured coatings. Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) and solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) are those advanced thermal spraying techniques which help to feed this liquid feedstock. These techniques have shown to produce better performance thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) than conventional thermal spraying. In this work, a comparative study was performed between SPS- and SPPS-sprayed TBCs which then were also compared with the conventional atmospheric plasma-sprayed (APS) TBCs. Experimental characterization included SEM, porosity analysis using weight difference by water infiltration, thermal conductivity measurements using laser flash analysis, and lifetime assessment using thermo-cyclic fatigue test. It was concluded that SPS coatings can produce a microstructure with columnar type features (intermediary between the columnar and vertically cracked microstructure), whereas SPPS can produce vertically cracked microstructure. It was also shown that SPS coatings with particle size in suspension (D50) <3 μm were highly porous with lower thermal conductivity than SPPS and APS coatings. Furthermore, SPS coatings have also shown a relatively better thermal cyclic fatigue lifetime than SPPS.

Suspension Thermal Spraying is a relatively new thermal spaying technique to produce advanced thermal barrier coatings. This technique enables the production of much different performance thermal barrier coatings than conventional thermal spraying which uses solid powder as a feedstock material. In this work a comparative study is performed on four different types of thermal barrier coatings sprayed with two different thermal spay processes, suspension high velocity oxy-fuel spraying (SHVOF) and suspension plasma spraying (SPS) using two different water-based suspensions. Tests carried out include microstructural analysis with SEM, porosity analysis using weight difference by water infiltration, thermal conductivity measurements using laser flash analysis and lifetime assessment using thermo-cyclic fatigue tests. The results showed that SPS coatings were much porous and hence showed lower thermal conductivity than SHVOF coatings produced with the same suspension. From the thermo-cycling tests it was observed that the SPS coatings showed a higher lifetime than the SHVOF ones.

The paper aims at demonstrating various microstructures which can be obtained using the suspension spraying technique and their respective significance in enhancing the thermal insulation property of a thermal barrier coating. Three different types of coating microstructures are discussed which were produced by the Axial Suspension Plasma Spraying. Detailed characterization of coatings was then performed. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were utilized for microstructure evaluations; x-ray diffraction for phase analysis; water impregnation, image analysis, and mercury intrusion porosimetry for porosity analysis, and laser flash analysis for thermal diffusivity measurements were used. The results showed that Axial Suspension Plasma Spraying can generate vertically cracked, porous, and feathery columnar-type microstructures. Pore size distribution was found in micron, submicron, and nanometer range. Higher overall porosity, the lower density of vertical cracks or inter-column spacing, and higher inter-pass porosity favored thermal insulation property of the coating. Significant increase in thermal diffusivity and conductivity was found at higher temperature, which is believed to be due to the pore rearrangement (sintering and pore coarsening). Thermal conductivity values for these coatings were also compared with electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) thermal barrier coatings from the literature and found to be much lower. © 2015 ASM International

Suspension plasma spraying is a relatively new thermal spaying technique to produce advanced thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) and enables production of coatings with a variety of structures—highly dense, highly porous, segmented, or columnar. This work investigates suspension plasma-sprayed TBCs produced using axial injection with different process parameters. The influence of coating microstructure on thermal properties was of specific interest. Tests carried out included microstructural analysis, phase analysis, determination of porosity, and pore size distribution, as well as thermal diffusivity/conductivity measurements. Results showed that axial suspension plasma spraying process makes it possible to produce various columnar-type coatings under different processing conditions. Significant influence of microstructural features on thermal properties of the coatings was noted. In particular, the process parameter-dependent microstructural attributes, such as porosity, column density, and crystallite size, were shown to govern the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the coating.

xial suspension plasma spraying (ASPS) is an advanced thermal spraying technique, which enables the creation of specific microstructures in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) used for gas turbine applications. However, the widely varying dimensional scale of pores, ranging from a few nanometers to a few tenths of micrometers, makes it difficult to experimentally measure and analyze porosity in SPS coatings and correlate it with thermal conductivity or other functional characteristics of the TBCs. In this work, an image analysis technique carried out at two distinct magnifications, i.e., low (500×) and high (10,000×), was adopted to analyze the wide range of porosity. Isothermal heat treatment of five different coatings was performed at 1150 °C for 200 h under a controlled atmosphere. Significant microstructural changes, such as inter-columnar spacing widening or coalescence of pores (pore coarsening), closure or densification of pores (sintering) and crystallite size growth, were noticed in all the coatings. The noted changes in thermal conductivity of the coatings following isothermal heat treatment are attributable to sintering, crystallite size growth and pore coarsening

Axial-suspension-plasma spraying (ASPS) is a fairly recent thermal spray technology which enables production of ceramic top coats in TBCs, incorporating simultaneously the properties of both the conventional-plasma sprayed (highly insulating porous structures) and electron-beam-physical-vapor-deposited (strain-tolerant columnar structures) top coats. TBCs are required to insulate the hot components in a gas turbine engine against high temperature and harsh operating conditions. Periodic heating and cooling of turbine engines during operation can create severe thermal cyclic fatigue conditions which can degrade the performance of these coatings eventually leading to the failure. An in-depth experimental investigation was performed to understand the failure behavior of columnar TBCs subjected to thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) test at 1100 C. The study revealed that the TCF performance was influenced to an extent, by the top coat microstructure, but was primarily affected by the severity of thermally grown oxide (TGO) growth at the bond coat-top coat interface. Mixed failure modes comprising crack propagation through the bond coat-TGO interface, through TGO and within the top coat were identified. Based on the analysis of the experimental results and thorough discussion a novel design of microstructure for the high TCF performance columnar TBC is proposed. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

This paper investigates the thermal shock behavior of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) produced by axial suspension plasma spraying (ASPS). TBCs with different columnar microstructures were subjected to cyclic thermal shock testing in a burner rig. Failure analysis of these TBCs revealed a clear relationship between lifetime and porosity. However, tailoring the microstructure of these TBCs for enhanced durability is challenging due to their inherently wide pore size distribution (ranging from few nanometers up to few tens of micrometers). This study reveals that pores with different length scales play varying roles in influencing TBC durability. Fracture toughness shows a strong correlation with the lifetime of various ASPS TBCs and is found to be the prominent life determining factor. Based on the results, an understanding-based design philosophy for tailoring of the columnar microstructure of ASPS TBCs for enhanced durability under cyclic thermal shock loading is proposed. © 2018 The Authors