Determination of interfacial properties of thermal barrier coatings by shear test and inverse finite element method

Determination of interfacial properties of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is very important for designing and evaluating the durability of TBCs. A new method combining a simple shear test and an inverse finite element analysis was developed and applied to measure the interfacial properties of two flame-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia TBCs. Nanoindentation testing was performed to determine the mechanical properties of different materials of the TBC systems. Variation of the lateral force during the shear test was recorded and analyzed to obtain the nominal ultimate shear strength of TBCs. The interfacial properties, namely fracture energy and stress intensity factor (mode II), of different TBC systems under both as-deposited and heat-treated conditions were determined through inverse finite element analysis.