Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are used in gas turbines to reduce the temperatures in the underlying substrate. There are several mechanisms that may cause the TBC to fail; one of them is cracking in the coating interface due to extensive oxidation. In the present study, the role of so called chromia-spinel-NiO (CSN) clusters in TBC failure was studied. Such clusters have previously been found to be prone to cracking. Finite element modeling was performed on a CSN cluster to find out at which stage of its formation it cracks and what the driving mechanisms of cracking are. The geometry of a cluster was obtained from micrographs and modeled as close as possible. Nanoindentation was performed on the cluster to get the correct Young's moduli. The volumetric expansion associated with the formation of NiO was also included. It was found that the cracking of the CSN clusters is likely to occur during its last stage of formation as the last Ni-rich core oxidizes. Furthermore, it was shown that the volumetric expansion associated with the oxidation only plays a minor role and that the main reason for cracking is the high coefficient of thermal expansion of NiO.

Geometrical distortions occur while welding, but the understanding of how and why they occur and how to control them is limited. The relation between the weld width, weld metal volume, total energy input, width of hard zone and distortions when laser welding three different thin sheet steels with varying strength has therefore been studied. Weld metal volume and total energy input show a good correlation with distortion for one steel at a time. The best correlation with the when including all three steel grades was the width of the hard zone composed of weld metal and the martensitic area in the heat affected zone. © 2017 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. Published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Institute.

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 thermal-mechanical properties of thermal barrier coatings are highly influenced by the defects present in coating microstructure. The aim of this study was to meet the future needs of the gas turbine industry by further development of zirconia coatings through the assessment of microstructure-property relationships. A design of experiments was conducted for this purpose with current, spray distance, and powder feed rate as the varied parameters. Microstructure was assessed with SEM and image analysis was used to characterize porosity content. Evaluations were carried out using laser flash technique to measure thermal properties. A bi-layer beam curvature technique in conjunction with controlled thermal cycling was used to assess the mechanical properties, in particular their nonlinear elastic response. Coating lifetime was evaluated by thermo-cyclic fatigue testing. Relationships between microstructure and coating properties are discussed. Dense vertically cracked microstructure and highly porous microstructure with large globular pores were also fabricated. Correlations between parameters obtained from nonlinear measurements and lifetime based on a priori established microstructural analysis were attempted in an effort to develop and identify a simplified strategy to assess coating durability following sustained long-term exposure to high temperature thermal cycling.

Rare earth zirconates have lower thermal conductivity, better phase stability, improved sintering resistance and CMAS (calcium magnesium alumino silicates) infiltration resistance than yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) at temperatures above 1200 °C. However, their lower fracture toughness and lower coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) compared to YSZ lead to premature coating failure. In order to overcome these drawbacks at higher temperatures, a multilayered coating approach is attempted in this study and compared with the single layer YSZ. Suspension plasma spray of single layer YSZ, single layer gadolinium zirconate (GZ) and double layer GZ/YSZ was carried out. Additionally, a triple layer coating system, with denser gadolinium zirconate on top of the GZ/YSZ system was sprayed to impart an added functionality of sealing the TBC from CMAS infiltration. Microstructural analysis was done using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. Columnar microstructure with vertical cracks was observed. XRD analysis was used to identify phases formed in the as sprayed TBC samples. Porosity measurements were done using water impregnation method. Thermal diffusivity of single and multi-layered coatings was obtained by laser flash analysis and thermal conductivity of the coating systems was determined. It was found that the thermal conductivity of single layer gadolinium zirconate was lower than YSZ and that the thermal conductivity of multilayered systems were between their respective single layers. The single (YSZ), double (GZ/YSZ) and triple (GZ dense/GZ/YSZ) layer TBCs were subjected to thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) test at 1100 °C and 1200 °C. It was observed that the single layer YSZ had lowest TCF life whereas the triple layer TBC had highest TCF life irrespective of test temperature.

The corrosion behavior of three HVAF thermal spray coating systems (A: single-layer Ni, B: single-layer Cr2C3–NiCr coatings, and C: bi-layer Ni/Cr2C3–NiCr coating) was comparatively studied using immersion,salt spray, and electrochemical tests. Polarization and EIS results showed that the corrosion behavior of Cr2C3–NiCr coatings in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was significantly improved by adding the intermediate layer of Ni. It was illustrated that the polarization resistance of the bi-layer Ni/Cr2C3–NiCr and singlelayerCr2C3–NiCr coatings were around 194 and 38 k cm2, respectively. Microstructure analysis revealed that the bond coating successfully prevented the corrosion propagation toward the coating.

The aim of this study was to review the literature on published arc efficiency values for GTAW and, if possible, propose a narrower band. Articles between the years 1955 - 2011 have been found. Published arc efficiency values for GTAW DCEN show to lie on a wide range, between 0.36 to 0.90. Only a few studies covered DCEP - direct current electrode positive and AC current. Specific information about the reproducibility in calorimetric studies as well as in modeling and simulation studies (considering that both random and systematic errors are small) was scarce. An estimate of the average arc efficiency value for GTAW DCEN indicates that it should be about 0.77. It indicates anyway that the GTAW process with DCEN is an efficient welding method. The arc efficiency is reduced when the arc length is increased. On the other hand, there are conflicting results in the literature as to the influence of arc current and travel speed.

This work is concerned with a new methodology that can be used to quantify the degree to which grains in the microstructure are aligned in the form of packets. The methodology is based on a crystallographic definition of the term packet which is used to deduce the theoretically ideal misorientations of intra-packet grain boundaries. A misorientation distribution obtained from extensive EBSD mapping can thus be split into intra- and inter-packet misorientations and the corresponding fractions can be determined by integration. The theoretical framework of the methodology is explained and a step-by-step description of the procedure is given. Results from a trace analysis are provided to justify the assumptions made regarding habit plane and examples are included showing how the grain boundary network can be split into two separate parts, one for lath boundaries and the other for packet boundaries. Moreover, example weld metal microstructures along with the corresponding misorientation distributions as well as quantitative values of the microstructures are presented.

Welding is a key manufacturing technology in the production of heavy steel structures, but it is likewise a weak link in the production chain since fatigue fractures in welds is a common cause of failures. This paper proposes several changes in the process to make the manufacturing more efficient and to improve the fatigue properties. The idea is to adopt the weld quality demands for the purpose of the weld and to connect them to the welding procedures. This approach ensures that the primary focus during welding is at the critical characteristics which add value to the welded structure through an enhanced fatigue life. These fatigue life-critical properties have been found to be related to the local weld geometry in the weld toe and at the weld root. Traditional demands related to the good workmanship of welding can often be neglected, due to its limited effect to the fatigue life. The research presented in this paper has contributed to the development of welding procedures for improved fatigue life properties at the critical points of the weld. Results indicate a considerable potential for enhanced fatigue life of fillet welds. The idea is to replace the standard fillet welds with a new toolbox containing three different welds: (i) welds with optimized penetration, (ii) welds with optimized weld toe, and (iii) welds with a low cost. Right usage of these weld types contributes to an efficient production that offer a long fatigue life. This paper describes a holistic view of the subject and highlights issues with the traditional way of working. The challenge and the novelty in the paper are the connection between the welding process, weld demands, and fatigue life properties. This connection is necessary for the development of welding procedures that can contribute to the fabrication of weight optimized welded structures with a predictable life. © 2015 Springer-Verlag London

This paper discusses welding problems of today and the possibilities for tomorrow for companies in the welding industry. By leaving old welding procedures based on traditions and applying new scientifically developed welding demands and procedures there is a vast potential to improve strength performance of the structures and increased competitiveness regarding weld work for the companies. Unfortunately, no changes are done easily and quickly and this paper gives proposals how changes can be done efficiently.

Traditional weld demands on throat size and leg length does not support a welding process for improved penetration. This paper includes theoretical analysis of welded samples showing the potential with welds that have a prescribed asymmetry. Weld with a larger leg length against the web plate offer in this study improved fatigue properties and could also offer potential for reduced welding time, a smaller amount of filler material and potentially make the quality inspection more relevant. Copyright © 2013 ASM International® All rights reserved.