Suspension Plasma Spraying Coatings Research Articles

Improving the lifetime of suspension plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings

Development of thermal barrier coating systems (TBCs) for gas turbine applications allowing higher combustion temperatures is of high interest since it results in higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions. TBCs produced by suspension plasma spraying (SPS) have been shown to exhibit significantly lower thermal conductivity as compared to conventional systems due to their very fine porosity microstructure. However they have not been commercialised yet due to low reliability and life expectancy of the coatings.In addition to the initial topcoat microstructure and its sintering resistance, lifetime of a TBC system is highly dependent on bondcoat chemistry as it influences the growth rate of thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer. To enhance the lifetime of SPS TBCs, fundamental understanding of relationships between topcoat microstructure and its evolution with time, bondcoat chemistry, TGO growth rate, and lifetime is essential. The objective of this work was to study the effect of topcoat microstructure evolution and TGO growth rate on lifetime in SPS TBC systems. Experimental MCrAlY bondcoat powders with different aluminium activities were investigated and compared to a commercial bondcoat powder. High velocity air fuel spraying was used for bondcoat deposition while axial-SPS was used for yttria stabilized zirconia topcoat deposition. Lifetime was examined by thermal cyclic fatigue testing. Isothermal heat treatment was performed to study TGO evolution with time. The changes in microstructure of SPS coatings due to sintering under long term exposure at high temperatures were investigated. Different failure modes in SPS TBCs were also examined.The bondcoat with higher aluminium activity resulted in a significantly higher thermal cyclic lifetime of the corresponding TBC as it could have promoted protective alumina layer growth for a longer period of time. The results indicate that the significant changes in topcoat microstructure due to sintering as observed in this work could have a detrimental effect on TBC lifetime.

Effect of Suspension Plasma-Sprayed YSZ Columnar Microstructure and Bond Coat Surface Preparation on Thermal Barrier Coating Properties

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) is identified as promising for the enhancement of thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems used in gas turbines. Particularly, the emerging columnar microstructure enabled by the SPS process is likely to bring about an interesting TBC lifetime. At the same time, the SPS process opens the way to a decrease in thermal conductivity, one of the main issues for the next generation of gas turbines, compared to the state-of-the-art deposition technique, so-called electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). In this paper, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings presenting columnar structures, performed using both SPS and EB-PVD processes, were studied. Depending on the columnar microstructure readily adaptable in the SPS process, low thermal conductivities can be obtained. At 1100 °C, a decrease from 1.3 W m−1 K−1 for EB-PVD YSZ coatings to about 0.7 W m−1 K−1 for SPS coatings was shown. The higher content of porosity in the case of SPS coatings increases the thermal resistance through the thickness and decreases thermal conductivity. The lifetime of SPS YSZ coatings was studied by isothermal cyclic tests, showing equivalent or even higher performances compared to EB-PVD ones. Tests were performed using classical bond coats used for EB-PVD TBC coatings. Thermal cyclic fatigue performance of the best SPS coating reached 1000 cycles to failure on AM1 substrates with a β-(Ni,Pt)Al bond coat. Tests were also performed on AM1 substrates with a Pt-diffused γ-Ni/γ′-Ni3Al bond coat for which more than 2000 cycles to failure were observed for columnar SPS YSZ coatings. The high thermal compliance offered by both the columnar structure and the porosity allowed the reaching of a high lifetime, promising for a TBC application.

A comparative study on the synthesis and properties of suspension and solution precursor plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings

In the present study, hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings were deposited on Ti-6Al-4V alloy by solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) and suspension plasma spray (SPS) processes and the properties of the coatings were compared. The feedstock powder for SPS method was prepared by coprecipitation technique and characterized for phase and morphology. The obtained HAp coatings were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy. The biocompatibility of the coatings was evaluated using osteoblast like cells. Both the SPS and SPPS hydroxyapatite coatings exhibited similar crystallinity. Interestingly, the HAp-SPS coating showed marginally higher biocompatibility compared to HAp-SPPS and control samples. The wear and corrosion behavior of these coatings was also studied in Hanks' medium. The hydroxyapatite coating fabricated from SPS technique exhibited better corrosion and wear resistance compared to SPPS coating.

Effect of Spray Distance on Microstructure and Tribological Performance of Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Hydroxyapatite–Titania Composite Coatings

Hydroxyapatite (HA)–titania (TiO2) composite coatings prepared on Ti6Al4V alloy surface can combine the excellent mechanical property of the alloy substrate and the good biocompatibility of the coating material. In this paper, HA–TiO2 composite coatings were deposited on Ti6Al4V substrates using suspension plasma spray (SPS). X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier infrared absorption spectrometry and friction tests were used to analyze the microstructure and tribological properties of the obtained coatings. The results showed that the spray distance had an important influence on coating microstructure and tribological performance. The amount of decomposition phases decreased as the spray distance increased. The increase in spray distance from 80 to 110 mm improved the crystalline HA content and decreased the wear performance of the SPS coatings. In addition, the spray distance had a big effect on the coating morphology due to different substrate temperature resulting from different spray distance. Furthermore, a significant presence of OH− and CO32− was observed, which was favorable for the biomedical applications.

Thermal insulation properties of YSZ coatings: Suspension Plasma Spraying (SPS) versus Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EB-PVD) and Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS)

Improving efficiency of hot section components of aero engines such as turbine blades or nozzle guide vanes is critical for the aircraft industry. Over many years, the development of advanced Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) has been a field of active research to achieve this purpose. Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EB-PVD) and Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS) processes are widely used to apply TBCs on metal substrates. High costs and rather high thermal conductivities of EB-PVD coatings, as well as low thermal lifetime of APS ones, are real drawbacks for next generations of turbine engines. In this study, Suspension Plasma Spraying (SPS) was assessed to improve TBC thermal properties. It was shown that the SPS process allows to perform columnar microstructure easily tunable in terms of both compaction of columnar structure and thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivities were in the 0.7–1.25W·m−1·K−1 range for SPS coatings while values of 0.9 and 1.5W·m−1·K−1 were measured for APS and EB-PVD coatings, respectively. The effect of heat conduction paths, which impact thermal diffusivity values, was highlighted for the columnar structure.

Comparative study on thermal shock behavior of thick thermal barrier coatings fabricated with nano-based YSZ suspension and agglomerated particles

Two kinds of segmentation-crack structured YSZ thick thermal barrier coatings (TTBCs) were deposited by suspension plasma spraying (SPS) and atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) with nano-based suspension and agglomerated particles, respectively. The phase composition, microstructure evolution and failure behavior of both TBCs before and after thermal shock tests were systematically investigated. Microstructure of the APS coating exhibits typical segmentation-crack structure in the through-thickness direction, similar with the SPS coating. The densities of segmentation-crack in APS and SPS coatings were about 3 cracks mm−1 and 4 cracks mm−1, respectively. The microstructure observation also showed that the columnar and equiaxed grains existed in the SPS coating. As for the thermal shock test, the spallation life of the APS TTBCs was 146 cycles, close to that of the SPS TTBCs (166 cycles). Failure of the APS coating is due to the spallation of fringe segments and splats.

Characterization of Thermal Barrier Coatings Produced by Various Thermal Spray Techniques Using Solid Powder, Suspension, and Solution Precursor Feedstock Material

Use of a liquid feedstock in thermal spraying (an alternative to the conventional solid powder feedstock) is receiving an increasing level of interest due to its capability to produce the advanced submicrometer/nanostructured coatings. Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) and solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) are those advanced thermal spraying techniques which help to feed this liquid feedstock. These techniques have shown to produce better performance thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) than conventional thermal spraying. In this work, a comparative study was performed between SPS‐ and SPPS‐sprayed TBCs which then were also compared with the conventional atmospheric plasma‐sprayed (APS) TBCs. Experimental characterization included SEM, porosity analysis using weight difference by water infiltration, thermal conductivity measurements using laser flash analysis, and lifetime assessment using thermo‐cyclic fatigue test. It was concluded that SPS coatings can produce a microstructure with columnar type features (intermediary between the columnar and vertically cracked microstructure), whereas SPPS can produce vertically cracked microstructure. It was also shown that SPS coatings with particle size in suspension (D50) <3 μm were highly porous with lower thermal conductivity than SPPS and APS coatings. Furthermore, SPS coatings have also shown a relatively better thermal cyclic fatigue lifetime than SPPS.

Effects of Feedstock Decomposition and Evaporation on the Composition of Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Coatings

Emerging new applications and growing demands of plasma-sprayed coatings have initiated the development of new plasma spray processes. One of them is suspension plasma spraying (SPS). The use of liquid feedstock such as suspensions yields higher flexibility compared to the conventional atmospheric plasma spray processes as even submicron-to nano-sized particles can be processed. This allows achieving particular microstructural features, e.g., porous segmented or columnar-structured thermal barrier coatings. To exploit the potentials of such novel plasma spray processes, the plasma-feedstock interaction must be understood better. In this study, decomposition and evaporation of feedstock material during SPS were investigated, since particular difficulties can occur with respect to stoichiometry and phase composition of the deposits. Plasma conditions were analyzed by optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Experimental results are given, namely for gadolinium zirconate and for lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite deposition. Moreover, the applied OES approach is validated by comparison with the simpler actinometry method.

Suspension Plasma Spraying of Sub-micron Silicon Carbide Composite Coatings

Thermal spraying of silicon carbide (SiC) material is a challenging task since SiC tends to decompose during atmospheric spraying process. The addition of metal or ceramic binders is necessary to facilitate the bonding of SiC particles, allowing SiC composite coating to be deposited. In the conventional procedures, the binders are added through mechanical mixing of powder constituents, making it difficult to achieve homogeneous distribution. In the new procedure proposed in this work, the binder is delivered as a nano-film of the surface of the individual SiC particles through co-precipitation treatment. Suspension plasma spray (SPS) coating technique has been used with the aim at avoiding the decomposition of SiC typically expected with atmospheric techniques, such as atmospheric plasma spray. The deposited SiC coatings by SPS showed identical SiC phase peak as identified in the suspension feedstock, indicating that the nano-film binder was able to protect SiC particles from decomposition. Further analysis by XPS revealed that SiC particles underwent some minor oxidation. Unfortunately, all the SiC coatings exhibited poor mechanical performance due to low cohesive strength, high porosity, and powdery structure making the coatings vulnerable to grain pull-out. This was due to the absence of sintering process during the spraying process contributing to the low performance of SiC SPS coatings.

Comparative study of suspension plasma sprayed and suspension high velocity oxy -fuel sprayed YSZ thermal barrier coatings

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.

Influence of bond coat surface roughness on the structure of axial suspension plasma spray thermal barrier coatings — Thermal and lifetime performance

Suspension plasma spraying has become a very promising candidate for the production of strain tolerant coatings for the gas turbine industry. Under certain process conditions suspension plasma spraying (SPS) generates column-like structures in the produced coatings. While a mechanism for column formation has been suggested previously based on columns forming on surface asperities, the effect of modification of surface structures on SPS coating properties has not been investigated.In this study, the surface topography of bond coats within a TBC system were modified by the combination of polishing and surface grit blasting. Yttria stabilized zirconia coatings were deposited using an axial feed suspension plasma spray gun. The surface topography of the resultant coatings was characterized using striped light projection. Samples were tested for thermo-cyclic fatigue lifetime at 1100°C during 1hour cycles. Thermal shock performance was evaluated using the burner rig test and thermal conductivity evaluated using the laser flash analysis. The results indicate that columnar SPS coating microstructure is strongly influenced by surface topography. Test results suggest that control of surface topography may be an important factor to improve the performance of SPS coatings.

Thermal Conductivity Analysis and Lifetime Testing of Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) has become an interesting method for the production of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine components. The development of the SPS process has led to structures with segmented vertical cracks or column-like structures that can imitate strain-tolerant air plasma spraying (APS) or electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) coatings. Additionally, SPS coatings can have lower thermal conductivity than EB-PVD coatings, while also being easier to produce. The combination of similar or improved properties with a potential for lower production costs makes SPS of great interest to the gas turbine industry. This study compares a number of SPS thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with vertical cracks or column-like structures with the reference of segmented APS coatings. The primary focus has been on lifetime testing of these new coating systems. Samples were tested in thermo-cyclic fatigue at temperatures of 1100 °C for 1 h cycles. Additional testing was performed to assess thermal shock performance and erosion resistance. Thermal conductivity was also assessed for samples in their as-sprayed state, and the microstructures were investigated using SEM.

Effect of TiO 2 addition on the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of Al 2 O 3 Suspension Plasma Sprayed coatings

• Al 2 O 3 and Al 2 O 3 –13 wt% TiO 2 coatings were deposited by suspension plasma spraying. • Coating microstructure was formed by dense melted zones embedded in a softer matrix. • The addition of TiO 2 leads to a higher melting rate of the initial feedstock. • Al 2 O 3 –TiO 2 coating presents higher hardness and Young's moduli than pure Al 2 O 3 layer. Alumina–titania coatings are widely used in industry for wear, abrasion or corrosion protection components. Such layers are commonly deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) using powder as feedstock. In this study, both Al 2 O 3 and Al 2 O 3 –13 wt% TiO 2 coatings were deposited on austenitic stainless steel coupons by suspension plasma spraying (SPS). Two commercial suspensions of nanosized Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 particles were used as starting materials. The coatings microstructure and phase composition were fully characterised using FEG-SEM and XRD techniques. Nanoindentation technique was used to determine the coatings hardness and elastic modulus properties. Results have shown that the addition of titania to alumina SPS coatings causes different crystalline phases and a higher powder melting rate is reached. The higher melted material achieved, when titania is added leads to higher hardness and elastic modulus when the same spraying parameters are used.

Explorations and 3D models of Atmospheric and Suspension Plasma Spraying coating microstructure

Plasma-spraying processing provides material with typical and complex microstructure. For simulating the mechanical, electrical, optical… properties of such materials, it is necessary to determine the numerical representation of the microstructure. Some techniques, like micro-tomography, give directly an image of the porosity. Although such methods are convenient, they don't allow modifications of the obtained structure, especially in order to observe the influence of the porosity parameters on the material properties. This work investigates the microstructure of Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS) and Suspension Plasma Spraying (SPS) coatings thanks to several analysis techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy, image analysis, Hg porosimetry or Ultra Small Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS). From the obtained different results, a flexible 3D representation of each coating is computed.

Column Formation in Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Coatings and Resultant Thermal Properties

The suspension plasma spray (SPS) process was used to produce coatings from yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powders with median diameters of 15 μm and 80 nm. The powder-ethanol suspensions made with 15-μm diameter YSZ particles formed coatings with microstructures typical of the air plasma spray (APS) process, while suspensions made with 80-nm diameter YSZ powder yielded a coarse columnar microstructure not observed in APS coatings. To explain the formation mechanisms of these different microstructures, a hypothesis is presented which relates the dependence of YSZ droplet flight paths on droplet diameter to variations in deposition behavior. The thermal conductivity (kth) of columnar SPS coatings was measured as a function of temperature in the as-sprayed condition and after a 50 h, 1200 °C heat treatment. Coatings produced from suspensions containing 80 nm YSZ particles at powder concentrations of 2, 8, and 11 wt.% exhibited significantly different kth values. These differences are connected to microstructural variations between the SPS coatings produced by the three suspension formulations. Heat treatment increased the kth of the coatings generated from suspensions containing 2 and 11 wt.% of 80 nm YSZ powder, but this kth increase was less than has been observed in APS coatings.

Pressure-Based Liquid Feed System for Suspension Plasma Spray Coatings

Apparatus (1) for injecting a liquid in an area of a thermal spray gun (100). The apparatus (1) includes an injector cleaning device (10) having an inlet connectable (19) to at least one feedstock supply line (18), an inlet connectable (17) to at least one gas supply line (16), and an inlet connectable (21) to at least one liquid medium supply line (20). An injector (30) orifice is coupled to the injector cleaning device (10) and is adapted to at least one of inject a liquid jet into a hot stream created in the area of the thermal spray gun (100) and receive feedstock, gas and liquid passing into the inlets.

Quantification of void network architectures of suspension plasma-sprayed (SPS) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings using Ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS)

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) is able to process a stabilized suspension of nanometer-sized feedstock particles to form thin (from 20 to 100 μm) coatings with unique microstructures. The void (pore) network structure of these ceramic coatings is challenging to characterize and quantify using commonly used techniques due to small sizes involved. Nevertheless, the discrimination of these pores in terms of their size and shape distribution, anisotropy, specific surface area, etc., is critical for the understanding of processing, microstructure, and properties relationships. We will show that one of suitable combinations of techniques providing sufficient detail is ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) and helium pycnometry, combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings were manufactured by plasma processing of suspension of particles with average diameter of ∼50 nm. Several sets of spray parameters (plasma gas mixture, spray distance, electric arc intensity, etc.) were used to generate plasma jets with different mass enthalpies and coefficients of thermal transfer and different heat fluxes transferred to the substrate. Free-standing coatings were studied as-sprayed and annealed at 800 and 1100 °C for 10 and 100 h (non-constrained sintering). Results indicate that the SPS coatings exhibit nanosized pore microstructure: average void size was about the same size scale as the feedstock size; i.e., nanometer sizes with multimodal void size distribution. About 80% of the pores (by number) exhibited characteristic dimensions smaller than 30 nm. Total void content of as-sprayed SPS coatings varies between 13% and 20%. Most of the voids were found to be opened with only between one-tenth to one-third of voids volume being inaccessible by intrusion (not connected to either surface). During annealing, even at temperatures as low than 800 °C, the microstructure transformed: while the total void content did not change significantly, the void size distribution evolved toward larger sizes. This unique void system, together with the nanometer scale of the particulate matrix itself, gave these coatings very low apparent thermal conductivity (in the order of 0.1 W m −1 K −1), as rarefaction effect and phonon scattering mechanisms are very likely emphasized.

Suspension Plasma Spraying: Process Characteristics and Applications

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) offers the manufacture of unique microstructures which are not possible with conventional powdery feedstock. Due to the considerably smaller size of the droplets and also the further fragmentation of these in the plasma jet, the attainable microstructural features like splat and pore sizes can be downsized to the nanometer range. Our present understanding of the deposition process including injection, suspension plasma plume interaction, and deposition will be outlined. The drawn conclusions are based on analysis of the coating microstructures in combination with particle temperature and velocity measurements as well as enthalpy probe investigations. The last measurements with the water cooled stagnation probe gives valuable information on the interaction of the carrier fluid with the plasma plume. Meanwhile, different areas of application of SPS coatings are known. In this paper, the focus will be on coatings for energy systems. Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) for modern gas turbines are one important application field. SPS coatings offer the manufacture of strain-tolerant, segmented TBCs with low thermal conductivity. In addition, highly reflective coatings, which reduce the thermal load of the parts from radiation, can be produced. Further applications of SPS coatings as cathode layers in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and for photovoltaic (PV) applications will be presented.

Microstructure of Suspension Plasma Spray and Air Plasma Spray Al2O3-ZrO2 Composite Coatings

Al2O3-ZrO2 coatings were deposited by the suspension plasma spray (SPS) molecularly mixed amorphous powder and the conventional air plasma spray (APS) Al2O3-ZrO2 crystalline powder. The amorphous powder was produced by heat treatment of molecularly mixed chemical solution precursors below their crystallization temperatures. Phase composition and microstructure of the as-synthesized and heat-treated SPS and APS coatings were characterized by XRD and SEM. XRD analysis shows that the as-sprayed SPS coating is composed of α-Al2O3 and tetragonal ZrO2 phases, while the as-sprayed APS coating consists of tetragonal ZrO2, α-Al2O3, and γ-Al2O3 phases. Microstructure characterization revealed that the Al2O3 and ZrO2 phase distribution in SPS coatings is much more homogeneous than that of APS coatings.

Use of aqueous suspensions in plasma spraying of alumina coatings

The paper examines and compares the properties of Al2O3 coatings sprayed using two methods: arc plasma spraying (APS) of micron powders (average particle size is 45 μm) and suspension plasma spraying (SPS) (average particle size is 2.9 μm). A system for feeding suspension into plasma spray is developed and fabricated. It is established that SPS coatings contain finer structural components than APS. This improves their mechanical characteristics such as microhardness and indentation fracture toughness.