Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of MCrAlY Bond Coats after Laser Microtexturing

Abstract

The performance and applicability of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) depend strongly on the top coat and bond coat interface integrity. The interlayer in TBC systems is often processed prior to top coat spraying to tailor its material properties or surface topography. Both, the bond coat spraying process and the further post-processing may significantly influence the thermally grown oxide (TGO) build-up which is crucial in terms of enhancing the TBC lifetime. In this work, NiCrAlY bond coats were sprayed by means of atmospheric plasma spraying. The as-sprayed bond coats were subjected to laser microtexturing which resulted in different bond coat topographies. Then, the samples were exposed to isothermal oxidation conditions under various oxidation dwell times to see the TGO evolution. The preliminary assessment of the oxidation mechanisms and oxide distribution was done by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-Ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS) was used in order to analyze the evolution of bond coat structure and chemical composition during the high temperature oxidation.