Cycle Thermal Fatigue Research Articles

Failure analysis of thermally cycled columnar thermal barrier coatings produced by high-velocity-air fuel and axial-suspension-plasma spraying: A design perspective

Axial-suspension-plasma spraying (ASPS) is a fairly recent thermal spray technology which enables production of ceramic top coats in TBCs, incorporating simultaneously the properties of both the conventional-plasma sprayed (highly insulating porous structures) and electron-beam-physical-vapor-deposited (strain-tolerant columnar structures) top coats. TBCs are required to insulate the hot components in a gas turbine engine against high temperature and harsh operating conditions. Periodic heating and cooling of turbine engines during operation can create severe thermal cyclic fatigue conditions which can degrade the performance of these coatings eventually leading to the failure. An in-depth experimental investigation was performed to understand the failure behavior of columnar TBCs subjected to thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) test at 1100ᵒC. The study revealed that the TCF performance was influenced to an extent, by the top coat microstructure, but was primarily affected by the severity of thermally grown oxide (TGO) growth at the bond coat-top coat interface. Mixed failure modes comprising crack propagation through the bond coat-TGO interface, through TGO and within the top coat were identified. Based on the analysis of the experimental results and thorough discussion a novel design of microstructure for the high TCF performance columnar TBC is proposed.

Comparison of damage evolution during thermal cycling in a high purity nano and a conventional thermal barrier coating

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), consisting of a ceramic top coat and a metallic bond coat, offer resistance against high temperature degradation of turbine components. Cyclic oxidation of the bond coat, thermal stresses due to their thermal mismatches during cyclic operations, and sintering of the top coat are considered to be the common ways by which thermal barrier coatings fail. To reduce sintering, a nano structured high purity yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was developed. The focus of this work is to compare the damage development of such high purity nano YSZ TBC during thermal cycling with a conventional YSZ TBC. Thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) tests were conducted on both the TBC systems between 100°C and 1100°C with a 1h hold time at 1100°C. TCF test results showed that conventional YSZ TBC exhibited much higher life compared to the high purity nano YSZ TBC. The difference in the lifetime is explained by the use of microstructural investigations, crack length measurements along the cross-section and the difference in the elastic modulus. Furthermore, stress intensity factors were calculated in order to understand the difference(s) in the damage development between the two TBC systems.

Investigation Into the Thermal Limitations of Steam Turbines During Start-Up Operation

Liberalized electricity market conditions and concentrating solar power technologies call for increased power plant operational flexibility. Concerning the steam turbine (ST) component, one key aspect of its flexibility is the capability for fast starts. In current practice, turbine start-up limitations are set by consideration of thermal stress and low cycle fatigue. However, the pursuit of faster starts raises the question whether other thermal phenomena can become a limiting factor to the start-up process. Differential expansion (DE) is one of such thermal properties, especially since the design of axial clearances is not included as part of start-up schedule design and because its measurement during operation is often limited or not a possibility at all. The aim of this work is to understand DE behavior with respect to transient operation and to quantify the effect that such operation would have in the design and operation of axial clearances. This was accomplished through the use of a validated thermomechanical model that was used to compare DE behavior for different operating conditions of the machine. These comparisons showed that faster starts do not necessarily imply that wider axial clearances are needed, which means that the thermal flexibility of the studied turbine is not limited by DE. However, for particular locations, it was also obtained that axial rubbing can indeed become a limiting factor in direct relation to start-up operation. The resulting approach presented in this work serves to avoid over-conservative limitations in both design and operation concerning axial clearances.

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.

Influence of Cr addition on the interface purification of vacuum brazed NiCr-Cr3C2 coatings on single crystal superalloy

In order to improve the high temperature wear- and oxidation resistance of single crystal superalloy, NiCr-Cr3C2 coatings were vacuum brazed on the surface. Different weight ratios of Cr were added into the coatings to control the diffusion of Si and C into the base metal, which would be harmful to the base metal stability. The results show that, when no Cr was added into the coatings, a layer of Ni3Si phase at the interface and MC precipitates in base metal were produced. With the increase of the Cr addition, the coating/base metal interface was gradually purified. The Ni3Si layer and the MC precipitates disappeared when the Cr addition increased to 30wt% and an interface was clearly presented with the γ′ phases on both sides epitaxially growing on some extent. After 200 thermal fatigue cycles, the total crack lengths were measured, which decreased with increasing Cr addition, indicating that the thermal fatigue resistance was improved.

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 study of damage evolution in high purity nano TBCs during thermal cycling: A fracture mechanics based modelling approach

This work concerns the study of damage evolution in a newly developed high purity nano 8YSZ thermal barrier coating during thermal cyclic fatigue tests (TCF). TCF tests were conducted between 100°C–1100°C with a hold time of 1h at 1100°C, first till failure and later for interrupted tests. Cross section analysis along the diameter of the interrupted test samples revealed a mixed-type failure and that the most of the damage occurred towards the end of the coating’s life. To understand the most likely crack growth mechanism leading to failure, different crack growth paths have been modelled using finite element analysis. Crack growing from an existing defect in the top coat towards the top coat/TGO interface has been identified as the most likely mechanism. Estimated damage by the model could predict the rapid increase in the damage towards the end of the coating’s life.

Mathematical Model Development Using Commercial Polypropylene to Evaluate Degradation of Plastic Under the Thermal Fatigue Cycles; Modelling approach.

Mathematical Model Development Using Commercial Polypropylene to Evaluate Degradation of Plastic Under the Thermal Fatigue Cycles; Modelling approach.

Effects of Cr Content and Volume Fraction of δ-Ferrite on Thermal Cycling Fatigue Properties of Overlay Welded Heat-Resistant 12%Cr Stainless Steels

Effects of Cr Content and Volume Fraction of δ-Ferrite on Thermal Cycling Fatigue Properties of Overlay Welded Heat-Resistant 12%Cr Stainless Steels

Effect of Skew Angle of Holes on the Thermal Fatigue Behavior of a Ni-based Single Crystal Superalloy

In the present work, holes of various skew angles were electrochemically machined in the middle of the plate specimens in a Ni-based single crystal superalloy and crack initiation and propagation around holes during thermal fatigue cycles (20–1100 °C) were investigated. It was demonstrated that the skew angles had a significant effect on the initiation and propagation of thermal fatigue cracks. During thermal fatigue process, stress concentration occurred at the edge of the holes. As for skew angles, the maximum stress concentration appeared at the acute side of holes. The maximum stress concentration resulted in plastic deformation at the acute side of the 30° hole, driving the thermal fatigue cracks to initiate after 220 cycles and propagate along \([0\bar{1}1]\) direction. However, the stresses concentrated at the edge of 90° or 60° holes were not large enough to initiate cracks even after 580 thermal cycles. This work will help to understand the local deformation behavior in the vicinity of cooling holes with various skew angles and have serious design implications for turbine blades.

Modeling of Deformation and Failure of Heat-Resistant Alloys under Cyclic Thermal-Mechanical Loading

The results of numerically modeling fatigue damage accumulation in heat-resistant alloys (Nimonic 80A, Haynes 188) under combined thermal mechanical loading are presented. Special attention is paid to the issues of modeling the processes of cyclic thermal plastic deformation and fatigue damage accumulation for complex deformation processes accompanied by the rotation of the main sites of stress and strain tensors.

Taguchi-Grey relation analysis for assessing the optimal set of control factors of thermal barrier coatings for high-temperature applications

Abstract Background In an aerospace industry, the efficient use of thermally sprayed coatings for high-temperature applications is achieved by improving the thermal characteristics (TC) such as thermal drop/barrier (TD) and thermal fatigue cycles (TFC). The characterization of ceramic coatings demands a better understanding of TC and their performance. Methods In this paper, an attempt has been made to use hybrid Taguchi design method based grey relation analysis (GRA) for optimizing the control factors such as the thickness of coating, type of coating, bond coating and exposed temperature. The necessary experiments were carried out using Taguchi L16 factorial design of experiments for analysis based on the larger the better signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. The multi-response/output optimization and grading of control factors were successfully carried out by GRA. Results The significance of each factor as regards TD and TFC were investigated. The ANOVA results showed that most important parameters at 95 % confidence level and were validated with a confirmation test using optimum process factors. It shows an improvement in the TC of thermal barrier coatings. Conclusions This work revealed that the hybrid GRA with Taguchi technique had improved the durability and efficient usage of TBC for high-temperature applications.

Microstructure design for blended feedstock and its thermal durability in lanthanum zirconate based thermal barrier coatings

The effects of microstructure design on the lifetime performance of lanthanum zirconate (La2Zr2O7; LZO)-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were investigated through various thermal exposure tests, such as furnace cyclic thermal fatigue, thermal shock, and jet engine thermal shock. To improve the thermal durability of LZO-based TBCs, composite top coats using two feedstock powders of LZO and 8wt.% yttria-doped stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) were prepared by mixing in different volume ratios (50:50 and 25:75, respectively). In addition, buffer layers were introduced in layered LZO-based TBCs deposited using an air-plasma spray method. The TBC with the double buffer layer showed the best thermal cycle performance among all samples in all tests. For applications with relatively slow cooling rates, the thermal durability in single-layer TBCs is more effectively enhanced by controlling a composition ratio in the blended powder, better than introducing a single buffer layer. For applications with relatively fast cooling rates, the thermal durability can be effectively improved by introducing a buffer layer than controlling a composition in the top coat, since the buffer layer provides fast localized stress relief due to its high strain compliance. These research findings allow us to control the TBC structure, and the buffer layer is efficient in improving thermal durability in cyclic thermal environments.

Thermal durability and fracture behavior of layered Yb-Gd-Y-based thermal barrier coatings in thermal cyclic exposure

The effects of structural design on the thermal durability and fracture behavior of Yb-Gd-Y-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) were investigated through thermal cyclic exposure tests, such as furnace cyclic thermal fatigue (FCTF) and jet engine thermal shock (JETS) tests. The effects of composition in the bond coat and feedstock purity for the buffer layer on its lifetime performance were also examined. To overcome the drawbacks of Yb-Gd-Y-based material with inferior thermal durability due to poor mechanical properties and low coefficient of thermal expansion, a buffer layer was introduced in the Yb-Gd-Y-based TBC systems. In FCTF tests, the TBCs with the buffer layer showed a longer lifetime performance than those without the buffer layer, showing the longest thermal durability in the TBC with the Co-Ni-based bond coat and the buffer layer of regular purity. In JETS tests, the TBC with the Ni-based bond coat and the buffer layer of high purity showed a sound condition after 2000cycles, showing better thermal durability for TBC with the Co-Ni-based bond coat rather than that with the Ni-based bond coat in the single layer coating without the buffer layer. The buffer layer effectively enhanced the thermal durability in slow temperature change (in the FCTF test), while the bond-coat composition and the feedstock purity for the buffer layer were found to be important factor to improve the thermal durability of the TBC in fast temperature change (in the JEET test). Finally, these research findings allow us to control the structure, composition, and feedstock purity in TBC system for improving the thermal durability in cyclic thermal environments.

Phase transformation under thermal fatigue of high Mn-TWIP steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties

High Mn steels present both high tensile strength and good ductility, therefore they have attracted attention as promising candidates for the next-generation of automotive steels. However, slight changes during the manufacturing process or in service conditions (i.e. chemical composition, annealing temperature, among others) can promote significant variations in their microstructure, leading to a strong modification in their mechanical response. In this regard, this paper discusses the relationship between the different microstructures generated on a high Mn-twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steel and its mechanical properties evaluated by means of Vickers’s hardness, tensile testing and also high cycle fatigue response. Different conditions, namely: as received, annealed at 500°C and thermally cycled at 500°C during 15, 36, 56 and 75 cycles, have been analyzed. The results exhibit the development of a heterogeneous pearlitic microstructure with a plateau on its fraction content and Vickers’s hardness at ~24% and 292±5HV, respectively, after 36 thermal fatigue cycles. Finally, pearlite colonies have been nucleated during the thermal fatigue treatment along the austenitic grain boundary producing a deleterious effect on the tensile and high cycle fatigue behavior.

Failure analysis of Gd2Zr2O7/YSZ multi-layered thermal barrier coatings subjected to thermal cyclic fatigue

8 wt.% yttria stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) is the standard ceramic top coat material used in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) due to its excellent thermo-physical and thermo-mechanical properties. However, above 1200 °C, YSZ has issues such as susceptibility to CMAS (Calcium Magnesium Alumino Silicates) attack and enhanced sintering which could lead to catastrophic failure of the TBC. Pyrochlores of rare earth zirconate composition such as gadolinium zirconate have shown to be resistant to CMAS attack and at the same time possess several other attractive properties. However, poor thermal cycling life of single layer gadolinium zirconate (GZ) TBC compared to single layer YSZ has been reported. Therefore, a double layered GZ/YSZ TBC with YSZ as the intermediate coating and GZ as the top coat and a single layer 8YSZ were deposited by the axial suspension plasma spray process. Additionally, a triple layer TBC (GZdense/GZ/YSZ) comprising of denser GZ coating on top of GZ/YSZ TBC was deposited. SEM analysis revealed a columnar microstructure in the single, double and triple layer TBCs. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of tetragonal prime and defect fluorite phases in the top surface of YSZ and GZ based as sprayed TBCs respectively. The single layer YSZ and GZ/YSZ multi-layered TBCs were subjected to thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) testing at 1100 °C and 1200 °C. The triple layer TBC showed a higher thermal cyclic life at both the temperatures compared to the single and double layer TBCs. The failed TBCs at 1100 °C were analyzed by SEM/EDS and image analysis. It was found that the failure modes in single layer YSZ and GZ based TBCs were different.

The Analysis of Metallic Materials Subjected to Cycles of Thermal and Mechanical Fatigue

The paper present theoretical and practical aspects concerning to the phenomena of thermal / mechanical fatigue specific to metallic materials, which are found in the structure of industrial parts, subjected to thermal and mechanical requests, also in combination with the corrosion phenomenon, pressure different etc. The analyzed alloys subjected to thermal and mechanical fatigue requests, on a prototype testing installation, using samples from Cu-Zn-Al alloys, which have been processed at standard dimensions by machining. Function of chemical composition of alloy, after a variable number of cycles it was found the micro-cracks appearance that generates crack and finally the break of samples. The SEM realized at different magnifications, highlight the character of samples break.

Comparative study of approaches to assess damage in thermally fatigued Cu[sbnd]Cr[sbnd]Zr alloy

For the first time the nature of response of thermal fatigue damage (TFD) in CuCrZr alloys, considered for the High Heat Flux components of Tokamak and its subsystems in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor application has been studied. Temperature cycling between 290 °C and 30 °C, similar to the service condition, has been carried out on two differently aged CuCrZr alloys. The TFD has been assessed by damage mechanics approach using damage parameters, and by surface characteristics. The damage parameters increase exponentially during initial fatigue cycles and saturates, whilst surface characteristics shows continuous increase with increase in thermal fatigue cycles. Damages are different in the aged alloys depending upon the aging conditions.

The effect of thermal fatigue on the mechanical properties of the novel fiber metal laminates based on aluminum–lithium alloy

The effect of thermal fatigue on the mechanical properties of the novel fiber metal laminates (FMLs) based on aluminum–lithium alloy was investigated. The results indicated that no obvious delamination or defects were observed in the novel FMLs exposed to 1000 cycles. The samples treated with different cycles still exhibited stable and excellent interlaminar properties comparing with the as-manufactured ones. Furthermore, the tensile and flexural strength of the FMLs even increased with the thermal fatigue cycles owing to the positive age hardening behavior of aluminum–lithium layer. The homogeneous and fine precipitation of T1 phases dominated the strengthening effect of aluminum–lithium alloy. Besides, the novel FMLs after thermal fatigue treatments still possessed the similar resistance to fatigue crack growth (FCG) when compared with the as-manufactured ones. The slight changes in the properties of aluminum–lithium layers had no detrimental effect on the FCG.

A continuum damage model for creep fracture and fatigue analyses

In this paper a thermodynamically consistent formulation for creep and creep-damage modelling is given. The model is developed for isotropic solids by using proper expressions for the Helmholtz free energy and the complementary form of the dissipation potential, and can be proven to fulfill the dissipation inequality. Also the coupled energy equation is derived. Continuum damage model with scalar damage variable is used to facilitate simulations with tertiary creep phase. The complementary dissipation potential is written in terms of the thermodynamic forces dual to the dissipative variables of creep strain-rate and damage-rate. The model accounts for the multiaxial stress state and the difference in creep rupture time in shear and axial loading as well as in tensile and compressive axial stress. In addition, the model is simple and only four to eight material model parameters are required in addition to the elasticity parameters. A specific version of the proposed model is obtained when constrained to obey the Monkman-Grant relationship between the minimum creep strain-rate and the creep rupture time. The applicability of the Monkman-Grant hypothesis in the model development is discussed. The proposed 3D-model is implemented in the ANSYS finite element software by the USERMAT subroutine. Material parameters have been estimated for the 7CrMoVTiB10-10 steel (T24) for temperatures ranging from 500 to 600 degrees of celcius. Some test cases with cyclic thermal fatigue analysis are presented.