Plasma spray deposition of tri-layer environmental barrier coatings

Abstract

Abstract An air plasma spray process has been used to deposit tri-layer environmental barrier coatings consisting of a silicon bond coat, a mullite inter-diffusion barrier, and a Yb 2 SiO 5 top coat on SiC substrates. Solidified droplets in as-deposited Yb 2 SiO 5 and mullite layers were discovered to be depleted in silicon. This led to the formation of an Yb 2 SiO 5 + Yb 2 O 3 two-phase top coat and 2:1 mullite (2Al 2 O 3 *SiO 2 ) coat deposited from 3:2 mullite powder. The compositions were consistent with preferential silicon evaporation during transient plasma heating; a consequence of the high vapor pressure of silicon species at plasma temperatures. Annealing at 1300 °C resulted in internal bond coat oxidation of pore and splat surfaces, precipitation of Yb 2 O 3 in the top coat, and transformation of 2:1 mullite to 3:2 mullite + Al 2 O 3 . Mud-cracks were found in the Yb 2 SiO 5 layer and in precipitated Al 2 O 3 due to the thermal expansion mismatch between these coating phases and the substrate.