Performance of vacuum plasma spray and HVOF bond coatings at 900° and 1100 °C

The effects of Ti and B additions to a vacuum plasma sprayed (VPS) NiCoCrAlYHfSi bond coating on thermal barrier coating (TBC) performance were studied at 1100 °C and 900 °C and compared to high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) bond coatings. Using alloy 247 substrates and air plasma sprayed Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 top coatings, additions of B or Ti + B did not improve the average TBC lifetime in 1-h cycles at 1100 °C in air with 10% H2O. The addition of Ti resulted in a decrease in lifetime. Photo-stimulated luminescence spectroscopy was used to map residual stresses in the thermally-grown Al2O3 scale. At 900 °C, closer to a typical land based turbine operating bond coating temperature, specimens were examined after ten 500-h cycles in laboratory air and air with 10%H2O to study the effect of H2O. The addition of water vapor had little effect on the measured parabolic rate constants at 900 °C and a comparison of the oxide microstructures in both environments is reported.