Structural evolution and enhanced thermal cycling life of HVAF-sprayed NiCrAlY bond coat modified by YSZ

Thermal barrier coatings with varied bond coat structures were deposited using high-velocity air fuel spraying. Highly hard YSZ particles are introduced into the NiCrAlY bond layer by accelerating to supersonic speeds at low temperatures to change the porous structure of the bond coat. We systematically increased the YSZ content in NiCrAlY bond coats and extensively investigated microstructure, oxidation behavior, thermal cycling life, and residual stress variation of the bond coats suing a combination of scanning electron microscopy, optical microscope, confocal Raman microprobe. Introduction of YSZ particles reduced the porosity of NiCrAlY bond coat from 2.69% to 0.45%, and altered the oxidation behavior of the bond layer. The NiCrAlY mixed YSZ composite structure induced the formation of a complex and thin thermal growth oxide layer on the bond coat during oxidation process, greatly alleviating and reducing the thermal stress generated of the coating and during the thermal cycling test. And the thermal cycling life of the NiCrAlY mixed YSZ composite structure coating is 2.8 times longer than that of the ordinary NiCrAlY coating. This finding highlights the significance of the bond coat structure in enhancing the service life of thermal barrier coatings.