Cyclic and Isothermal Oxidation at 1200°C of HVOF NiCrAlY Sprayed Coatings

Abstract

Abstract The isothermal and cyclic oxidation of freestanding Ni-20Cr-10Al-lY thick coatings has been investigated at 1200°C using TGA, SEM, XRD and XPS techniques. Coatings produced by HVOF are dense and remain crack free after thermal treatments. The protective oxide layer formed did not flake off upon cyclic oxidation as confirmed by SEM analysis. In addition, three oxidation regimes were identified after analyzing TGA data: two below 1000 °C and a third one at approximately 1200°C. The regimes below 1000°C correspond to the selective oxidation of elements on the surface and at the subsurface of the coatings whereas the third regime involves element diffusion from the bulk of the coating to the surface. The oxidation regime became asymptotic at 1200 °C as stable oxides formed. The presence of water vapor affects neither the thickness nor the orientation of oxide crystals formed on the surface as confirmed by the X-ray analysis. The XPS and X-ray results show an inter-diffusion between the coating and substrate with a slight increase in chromium concentration at the interface. Element distribution within the oxide layer was found to follow the order: Al-(oxide)Y-(oxide)/Cr-(oxide)/Ni-(oxide)/NiCrAlY from the outermost oxide layer to the bulk of the coating. These results show that HVOF dense Ni-20Cr-10Al-lY sprayed coatings can be used as anti-oxidant barriers in both isothermal and cyclic oxidation at 1200°C.