High-temperature thermo-mechanical behavior of functionally graded materials produced by plasma sprayed coating:

Abstract

Thermal barrier coatings are widely used in aerospace industries to protect exterior surfaces from harsh environments. In this study, functionally graded materials (FGMs) were investigated with the aim to optimize their high temperature resistance and strength characteristics. NiCrAlY bond coats were deposited on Inconel-617 superalloy substrate specimens by the low vacuum plasma spraying technique. Functionally graded Ni-yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings with gradually varying amounts of YSZ (20%-100%) were fabricated from composite powders by vacuum plasma spraying. Heat shield performance tests were conducted using a high-temperature plasma torch. The temperature distributions were measured using thermocouples at the interfaces of the FGM layers during the tests. A model for predicting the temperature at the bond coating-substrate interface was established. The temperature distributions simulated using the finite element method agreed well with the experimental results.