Indentation methods for adhesion measurement in thermal barrier coating systems

This thesis investigates the fundamentals of indentation-induced delamination of electron beam physical vapor deposition thermal barrier coatings (EB-PVD TBCs). Thermal barrier coatings are thin ceramic coatings used to insulate gas turbine components. In the as-processed state, TBCs are well-bonded to the metallic substrate they are deposited upon. However, as these coatings are exposed to high temperatures during turbine operation, they lose their adhesion. The goal of this thesis is to determine how to use indentation testing techniques, coupled with fracture mechanics principles, to track this loss of adhesion and to identify mechanisms causing it.; This thesis addresses four primary topics. First, a detailed fracture mechanics analysis of indentation-induced delamination is made, including the quantification of energy release rates, interfacial toughnesses and mode mix. The second topic addressed is application of the indentation test to track toughness losses in TBC systems subjected to a variety of thermal exposures. Three subtopics are included: (1) mechanism-based tests for the isothermal dry air exposures; (2) mechanism-based tests for exposures with water vapor and (3) mechanism-based tests for cyclic thermal exposures. In the first subtopic, TGO thickening and TBC sintering are modeled. Various mechanisms that lead to toughness degradation are discussed and analyzed quantitatively. An Arrhenius analysis has been performed to understand accelerated testing methods. The second subtopic presents the results of toughness degradation and the evolution of microstructures due to isothermal exposure with water vapor. The third subtopic investigates the toughness degradation for cyclic thermal exposures in dry air. Piezospectroscopy method has been applied to track the evolution of residual stresses in the TGO layer with thermal cycles. Quantitative analysis has been provided to give insights into the effects of oxide damage during thermal cycling. The final two topics of this thesis relate to extensions of the indentation test to make it applicable to a wider variety of TBC systems. These include the use of different indenter shapes and the indentation of TBCs deposited onto curved substrates.