Sintering and creep processes in plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings

During operation at elevated temperatures, sintering processes can significantly influence the mechanical properties of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) by increasing Young’s modulus and reducing strain tolerance. These changes of the mechanical response of TBCs were investigated using free-standing plasma-sprayed TBCs in a thermomechanical analysis (TMA) facility. The time-dependent change of Young’s modulus was determined in situ in a flexure mode at different annealing temperatures. In addition, relaxation processes during loading and unloading were monitored. The time-dependent deformation behavior of the TBC sample can be described by a simple viscoelastic approach (Burgers model). Viscosity data are determined as a function of annealing temperature and time.