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At least 73 records · Page 4

Crack Driving Forces in a Multilayered Coating System for Ceramic Matrix Composite Substrates

The effects of the top coating thickness, modulus and shrinkage strains on the crack driving forces for a baseline multilayer Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia/Mullite/Si thermal and environment barrier coating (TEBC) system for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite substrates are determined for gas turbine applications. The crack driving forces increase with increasing modulus, and a low modulus thermal barrier coating material (below 10 GPa) will have no cracking issues under the thermal gradient condition analyzed. Since top coating sintering increases the crack driving forces with time, highly sintering resistant coatings are desirable to maintain a low tensile modulus and maintain a low crack driving force with time. Finite element results demonstrated that an advanced TEBC system, such as ZrO2/HfO2, which possesses improved sintering resistance and high temperature stability, exhibited excellent durability. A multi-vertical cracked structure with fine columnar spacing is an ideal strain tolerant coating capable of reducing the crack driving forces to an acceptable level even with a high modulus of 50 GPa.

Ghosn, Louis J.↗

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) for Characterizing Oxidation Damage in Cracked Reinforced Carbon-Carbon

In this study, coated reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) samples of similar structure and composition as that from the NASA space shuttle orbiter's thermal protection system were fabricated with slots in their coating simulating craze cracks. These specimens were used to study oxidation damage detection and characterization using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods. These specimens were heat treated in air at 1143 C and 1200 C to create cavities in the carbon substrate underneath the coating as oxygen reacted with the carbon and resulted in its consumption. The cavities varied in diameter from approximately 1 to 3mm. Single-sided NDE methods were used because they might be practical for on-wing inspection, while X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) was used to measure cavity sizes in order to validate oxidation models under development for carbon-carbon materials. An RCC sample having a naturally cracked coating and subsequent oxidation damage was also studied with X-ray micro-CT. This effort is a follow-on study to one that characterized NDE methods for assessing oxidation damage in an RCC sample with drilled holes in the coating.

Roth, Don J.↗

High temperature constitutive and crack initiation modeling of coated single crystal superalloys

The purpose of this program is to develop life prediction models for anisotropic materials used in gas turbine airfoils. In the base portion of the program, two coated single crystal alloys are being tested. They are PWA 286 overlay coated and PWA 273 aluminide coated PWA 1480 and PWA 286 overlay coated Alloy 185. Viscoplastic constitutive models for these materials are also being developed to predict the cyclic stress-strain histories required for life prediction of the lab specimens and actual airfoil designs.

Meyer, Thomas G.↗

Surface Cracking and Interface Reaction Associated Delamination Failure of Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coatings

In this paper, surface cracking and interface reactions of a BSAS coating and a multi-layer ZTO2-8wt%Y2O3 and mullite/BSAS/Si thermal and environmental barrier coating system on SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites were characterized after long-term combined laser thermal gradient and furnace cyclic tests in a water vapor containing environment. The surface cracking was analyzed based on the coating thermal gradient sintering behavior and thermal expansion mismatch stress characteristics under the thermal cyclic conditions. The interface reactions, which were largely enhanced by the coating surface cracking in the water vapor environment, were investigated in detail, and the reaction phases were identified for the coating system after the long- term exposure. The accelerated coating delamination failure was attributed to the increased delamination driving force under the thermal gradient cyclic loading and the reduced interface adhesion due to the detrimental interface reactions.

Zhu, Dongming↗

Surface Cracking and Interface Reaction Associated Delamination Failure of Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coatings

In this paper, surface cracking and interface reactions of a BSAS coating and a multi-layer ZrO2-8wt%Y2O3 and mullite/BSAS/Si thermal and environmental barrier coating system on SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites were characterized after long-term combined laser thermal gradient and furnace cyclic tests in a water vapor containing environment. The surface cracking was analyzed based on the coating thermal gradient sintering behavior and thermal expansion mismatch stress characteristics under the thermal cyclic conditions. The interface reactions, which were largely enhanced by the coating surface cracking in the water vapor environment, were investigated in detail, and the reaction phases were identified for the coating system after the long-term exposure. The accelerated coating delamination failure was attributed to the increased delamination driving force under the thermal gradient cyclic loading and the reduced interface adhesion due to the detrimental interface reactions.

Zhu, Dong-Ming↗

NDE for Characterizing Oxidation Damage in Reinforced Carbon-Carbon

In this study, coated reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) samples of similar structure and composition as that from the NASA space shuttle orbiter s thermal protection system were fabricated with slots in their coating simulating craze cracks. These specimens were used to study oxidation damage detection and characterization using NDE methods. These specimens were heat treated in air at 1143 and 1200 C to create cavities in the carbon substrate underneath the coating as oxygen reacted with the carbon and resulted in its consumption. The cavities varied in diameter from approximately 1 to 3 mm. Single-sided NDE methods were used since they might be practical for on-wing inspection, while x-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) was used to measure cavity sizes in order to validate oxidation models under development for carbon-carbon materials. An RCC sample having a naturally-cracked coating and subsequent oxidation damage was also studied with x-ray micro-CT. This effort is a follow-on study to one that characterized NDE methods for assessing oxidation damage in an RCC sample with drilled holes in the coating. The results of that study are briefly reviewed in this article as well. Additionally, a short discussion on the future role of simulation to aid in these studies is provided.

Roth, Don J.↗

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) for Characterizing Oxidation Damage in Cracked Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC)

In this study, coated reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) samples of similar structure and composition as that from the NASA space shuttle orbiter's thermal protection system were fabricated with slots in their coating simulating craze cracks. These specimens were used to study oxidation damage detection and characterization using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods. These specimens were heat treated in air at 1143 and 1200 C to create cavities in the carbon substrate underneath the coating as oxygen reacted with the carbon and resulted in its consumption. The cavities varied in diameter from approximately 1 to 3 mm. Single-sided NDE methods were used since they might be practical for on-wing inspection, while x-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) was used to measure cavity sizes in order to validate oxidation models under development for carbon-carbon materials. An RCC sample having a naturally-cracked coating and subsequent oxidation damage was also studied with x-ray micro-CT. This effort is a follow-on study to one that characterized NDE methods for assessing oxidation damage in an RCC sample with drilled holes in the coating.

Roth, Don J.↗

Production and characterization of TRISO fuel particles with multilayered SiC

Three distinct composite architectures of silicon carbide (SiC) and pyrocarbon (PyC) were incorporated into the SiC coating layer of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) nuclear fuel particles. The composite architectures are meant to increase the resistance of SiC coating layer to cracking and fission product attack during operation and accident scenarios. All composite layers were produced using the existing fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition apparatus that is used for production of TRISO fuel particles without modifications. Detailed characterization of the composite microstructure was carried out via optical and electron microscopy. Nano-indentation examination confirms that mechanical properties of the SiC phase was not affected in the composite architectures, however, the resistance to crack propagation in this coating layer was greatly increased in all cases when compared to the reference monolithic coating layer. The stress required to debond the SiC-inner PyC interface in the reference TRISO particles was determined to be ~1 GPa using micropillar compression technique. The high strength may explain the ease of crack propagation from the inner PyC to SiC in the reference design. In the composite architectures, the means of crack deflection were effectively incorporated at this interface. Lastly, finite element analysis of stress evolution in the fuel particles during normal operation with the reference and composite SiC coating layer architectures did not show any significant differences between the variants.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

The Effect of Titanium Dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) Nanoparticles on Hydroxyapatite (HA)/TiO{sub 2} Composite Coating Fabricated by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD)

Composite coatings of Hydroxyapatite (HA) with ceramics, polymers and metals are used to modify the surface structure of implants. In this research, HA/TiO{sub 2} composite coating was fabricated by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on 316 stainless steel substrate. HA/TiO{sub 2} composite coatings with 5, 10 and 20 wt.% of TiO{sub 2}, deposited at 40 V and 90 s as an optimum condition. The samples coated at this condition led to an adherent, continuous and crack-free coating. The influence of TiO{sub 2} content was studied by performing different characterization methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), corrosion resistance in simulated body fluid (SBF), coating’s dissolution rate in physiological solution and bond strength to the substrate. The results showed that the higher amount of TiO{sub 2} in the composite coating led to increase in bond strength of coating to stainless steel substrate from 3 MPa for HA coating to 5.5 MPa for HA-20 wt.% TiO{sub 2} composite coating. In addition, it caused to reduction of corrosion current density of samples in the SBF solution from 18.92 μA/cm{sup 2} for HA coating to 6.35 μA/cm{sup 2} for HA-20 wt.% TiO{sub 2} composite coating.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Environmental Barrier Coating Fracture, Fatigue and High-Heat-Flux Durability Modeling and Stochastic Progressive Damage Simulation

Advanced environmental barrier coatings will play an increasingly important role in future gas turbine engines because of their ability to protect emerging light-weight SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) engine components, further raising engine operating temperatures and performance. Because the environmental barrier coating systems are critical to the performance, reliability and durability of these hot-section ceramic engine components, a prime-reliant coating system along with established life design methodology are required for the hot-section ceramic component insertion into engine service. In this paper, we have first summarized some observations of high temperature, high-heat-flux environmental degradation and failure mechanisms of environmental barrier coating systems in laboratory simulated engine environment tests. In particular, the coating surface cracking morphologies and associated subsequent delamination mechanisms under the engine level high-heat-flux, combustion steam, and mechanical creep and fatigue loading conditions will be discussed. The EBC compostion and archtechture improvements based on advanced high heat flux environmental testing, and the modeling advances based on the integrated Finite Element Analysis Micromechanics Analysis Code/Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures (FEAMAC/CARES) program will also be highlighted. The stochastic progressive damage simulation successfully predicts mud flat damage pattern in EBCs on coated 3-D specimens, and a 2-D model of through-the-thickness cross-section. A 2-parameter Weibull distribution was assumed in characterizing the coating layer stochastic strength response and the formation of damage was therefore modeled. The damage initiation and coalescence into progressively smaller mudflat crack cells was demonstrated. A coating life prediction framework may be realized by examining the surface crack initiation and delamination propagation in conjunction with environmental degradation under high-heat-flux and environment load test conditions.

Mechanical creep and fatigue loading condition↗

Crack mitigation and wear performance of high-strength steel coatings deposited by high-speed laser cladding

This article investigates the fabrication of defect-free Rockit® 606, a high‑carbon, vanadium- and chromium-enriched precipitation-hardening martensitic steel coating, using high-speed laser cladding (HSLC). Compared to conventional laser cladding, HSLC offers higher deposition efficiency, improved coating quality, minimal thermal distortion, and a reduced heat-affected zone. Various HSLC parameters—including laser power, travel speed, powder feed rate, and overlap distance—were optimized to achieve superior coating properties. Microstructural analysis revealed solidification cracks in coatings deposited on carburized steel, regardless of processing parameters. However, preheating the substrate to 250 °C effectively eliminated cracking by reducing thermal gradients. The coatings exhibited a columnar dendritic microstructure, with coarser dendrites near the substrate and finer dendrites towards the surface. Hardness measurements confirmed that all coatings significantly exceeded the industry-specified threshold of 60 HRC, with preheating having minimal effect on overall hardness distribution. Reciprocating sliding wear tests demonstrated a substantial improvement in wear resistance for the defect-free HSLC coatings compared to baseline carburized steel. These findings underscore the potential of HSLC for producing high-performance, wear-resistant coatings suitable for industrial applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Tensile cracking of a brittle conformal coating on a rough substrate

This note examines the effect of interfacial roughness on the initiation and growth of channel cracks in a brittle film. A conformal film with cusp-like surface flaws that replicate the substrate roughness is investigated. This type of surface flaw is relatively severe in the sense that stress diverges as the cusp-tip is approached (i.e., there is a power-law stress singularity). For the geometry and range of film properties considered, the analysis suggests that smoothing the substrate could substantially increase the film’s resistance to the formation of the through-the-thickness cracks that precede channel cracking. Furthermore, smoothing the substrate’s surface has a relatively modest effect on the film stress needed to propagate a channel crack.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermophysical and Thermomechanical Properties of Thermal Barrier Coating Systems

Thermal barrier coatings have been developed for advanced gas turbine and diesel engine applications to improve engine reliability and fuel efficiency. However, the issue of coating durability under high temperature cyclic conditions is still of major concern. The coating failure is closely related to thermal stresses and oxidation in the coating systems. Coating shrinkage cracking resulting from ceramic sintering and creep at high temperatures can further accelerate the coating failure process. The purpose of this paper is to address critical issues such as ceramic sintering and creep, thermal fatigue and their relevance to coating life prediction. Novel test approaches have been established to obtain critical thermophysical and thermomechanical properties of the coating systems under near-realistic temperature and stress gradients encountered in advanced engine systems. Emphasis is placed on the dynamic changes of the coating thermal conductivity and elastic modulus, fatigue and creep interactions, and resulting failure mechanisms during the simulated engine tests. Detailed experimental and modeling results describing processes occurring in the thermal barrier coating systems provide a framework for developing strategies to manage ceramic coating architecture, microstructure and properties.

Zhu, Dongming↗

Research on High Temperature Ceramic Insulation for Electrical Conductors

Three methods for applying ceramic coatings to wires were examined in depth and a fourth (chemical vapor deposition) was studied briefly. CVD coatings were not reported in the thesis because it was realized early in the study that the deposition rate of the coatings was too slow to be used in a commercial process. Of the methods reported in the thesis, slurry coating was the most promising. This method consists of slowly drawing a platinum wire through a thixotropic slurry of alumina in a vehicle composed of polyvinyl butyral, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene. The coatings produced by this method were continuous and free of cracks after sintering. The sintered coatings crack when the wire is bent around sharp corners, but most of the coating remains in place and still provides electrical insulation between the wire and any metallic structure to which the wire may be attached. The coating thickness was 0.61 mm (16 micrometers). The electrical resistivity of the intact coating was 340 M-Ohm-cm at 800 C and 23 M-Ohm-cm at 1050 C. Therefore, these coatings more than meet the electrical requirements for use in turbine engines. Although adherence of the coating to the wire was generally excellent, a problem was noted in localized areas where the coating flaked off. Further work will be needed to obtain good coating adherence along the entire length of the wire. The next most promising coatings were made by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of Al2O3 onto platinum wires, using mixtures of ethanol and acetone as the suspending liquid. These EPD coatings were made only on short lengths of wire because the coating is too fragile to allow spooling of the wire. The worst coatings were those made by electrophoretic deposition from aqueous suspensions. Continuous slurry coating of wire was achieved, but due to lack of suitable equipment, the wire had to be cut into short lengths for sintering.

Kreidler, Eric R.↗

ORNL Analysis of Leach-Burn-Leach Round-Robin Test Samples

An international round-robin test to examine the consistency in leach-burn-leach (LBL) analysis of tristructural-isotropic- (TRISO-) coated particle fuel was conducted by three research organizations from the Generation IV International Forum member countries of the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States of America. Two sets of round-robin test samples were exchanged for analysis. One set of samples consisted of a series of nonuranium-bearing, TRISO-coated zirconium dioxide particles seeded with up to four depleted uranium-bearing, TRISO-coated uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) particles, which had intentionally damaged coating layers to simulate either particles with either exposed-kernel defects (i.e., particles with a cracked TRISO coating that should be detected during preburn leaching) or particles with silicon carbide (SiC) defects (i.e., particles with an intact pyrocarbon coating and a hole in the SiC layer that should be detected during postburn leaching). These simulated samples also contained added powder with known quantities of impurities from a coal standard. The other sample set consisted of representative sublots of UO 2 -TRISO particles fabricated in a production-scale coater, except they all contained depleted uranium instead of enriched uranium. In this report, the methodology used at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to conduct LBL analysis of the round-robin samples is presented, and the general results are summarized.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Butt Laser Welding–Brazing of AZ31 Mg to Nickel-Coated Ti-6Al-4V

Mg and Ti alloy are hard to be bonded due to their huge discrepancy in physical and metallurgical characteristics. As an intermediate element, Ni is feasible for joining of Mg and Ti. The interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of laser-welded–brazed AZ31 Mg/Ti-6Al-4V joints in butt configuration were investigated with different thicknesses of electrodeposited Ni interlayer. The interfacial reaction products evolved from an ultra-thin Ti{sub 3}Al layer to Ti{sub 2}Ni layer mingled with Ti{sub 3}Al, and more Mg{sub 3}AlNi{sub 2} compounds were produced in the fusion zone (FZ) as Ni coating thickness increased. Slag inclusions and cracks were observed in interfacial layer when coating thickness exceeded 2.5 μm. The quantity of Mg{sub 3}AlNi{sub 2} and the thickness of interfacial layer decreased from the top to bottom of groove of the same joint owing to high thermal gradient during laser welding. The chemical potential of Al and Ni indicated that Al-Ti reaction product was produced more easily than Ni-Ti in 0.001Mg-(Ni-Al-Ti) system. The thermodynamic calculation results of Gibbs free energy suggested the preferential formation Ti-Al phase and Ti-Ni phase along the interface while the Mg-Al-Ni ternary phase in the FZ. Fracture loads of joints increased first followed by a decline with the increase in coating thickness. The joint fractured at the Mg base metal, reaching a maximum value of 3900 N with the Ni coating thickness of 1.5 μm. In the case of using thinner or thicker Ni coating, crack propagated along the interface due to the insufficient metallurgical bonding or defects existed in the interfacial layer. The characteristic of fracture surface changed from the tear ridges and terraces to river pattern when interfacial failure occurred.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A comparison of He and Ne FIB imaging of cracks in microindented silicon nitride

Highlights: • Silicon nitride was successfully imaged with helium and neon ion microscopy. • Indent-induced cracking was resolved on conductively-coated and uncoated samples. • Cracking was found to be primarily intergranular in nature. • The grain microstructure was most visible on the carbon-coated sample. • For the carbon-coated sample, localized charging was observed along crack pathways. - Abstract: Helium ion microscopy (HIM) offers potential as a high spatial resolution technique for imaging insulating samples that are susceptible to charging artifacts. In this study helium and neon ion microscopy are used to image cracking in microindented samples of the non-conductive ceramic silicon nitride. The crack morphology of radial cracks emanating from the microindentations has been characterized for two different compositions of silicon nitride, with and without conductive coatings. Gold coating enhances crack edge contrast, but masks grain contrast for both He and Ne ion-induced secondary electron (ISE) imaging. Carbon coating enables the crystalline and glassy phases to be distinguished, more clearly with Ne-ISE, and the cracking pathway is found to be primarily intergranular. Zones of <100 nm diameter depleted ion-induced secondary electron emission along the crack paths are identified, consistent with charging ‘hotspots’.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗