Influence of TGO composition on the thermal shock lifetime of thermal barrier coatings with cold-sprayed MCrAlY bond coat

NiCoCrAlTaY bond coat was deposited by cold spraying to assemble thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). The microstructure of the cold-sprayed bond coat was examined using scanning electron microscopy. TBCs consisting of cold-sprayed bond coat and plasma-sprayed YSZ were pretreated at different conditions to form different thermally grown oxides (TGOs) before thermal cycling test. The influence of the TGO composition on the thermal cyclic lifetime was quantitatively examined through the measurement of the coverage ratio of the mixed oxides on the bond coat surface. The results showed that the bond coat exhibited a dense oxidation-free microstructure, and TGOs in different morphologies and constituents were present after thermal cyclic test. The formation of TGOs was significantly influenced by pretreatment conditions. Two kinds of TGO were detected on the surface of bond coat after the spallation of YSZ coatings. One is the α-Al₂O₃-based TGO and the other is the mixed oxide. It was found that the thermal cyclic lifetime is inversely proportional to the coverage ratio of the mixed oxides formed at the bond coat/YSZ interface. The high coverage ratio of the mixed oxide on the interface leads to the early spalling of YSZ coating.