Micromechanical theoretical and computational modeling of energy dissipation due to nonlinear vibration of hard ceramic coatings with microstructural recursive faults

Engine failures due to high-cycle fatigue during severe dynamic vibration have cost the US Air Force an estimated $400 million dollars per year over the past two decades. Therefore, structural materials that exhibit high damping capacities are desirable for mechanical vibration suppression and acoustic noise attenuation. Few experimental studies suggested that hard ceramic coatings, which are commonly used as thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to protect engine components from high temperatures and corrosion, can also serve as passive dampers due to their unique microstructure which consists of several layers of splats with inter- and intra-microstructural recursive faults (micro-cracks). Therefore, the focus of this study is on the development of a fundamental understanding of the unique microstructural features and mechanisms responsible for this observed energy dissipation in ceramic coatings under nonlinear vibration through the development of a micromechanical computational framework. Inter- and intra-fatigue damage and internal friction is simulated through the development of thermodynamic-based nonlinear cohesive laws that consider interfacial degradation, debonding, plastic sliding, and Coulomb/contact friction between the interfaces of microstructural faults. Representative volume element-based micromechanical simulations are conducted in order to assess the main micromechanical mechanisms responsible for the experimentally observed nonlinear (amplitude- and frequency-dependent) damping in plasma sprayed hard ceramic coatings. It is concluded that the major part of energy dissipation is achieved through contact friction which results from sliding of the splat interfaces along the microstructural recursive faults. Energy dissipation due to progressive decohesion and evolution of new micro-cracks is not that significant as compared to energy dissipated due to increased friction from existing and new created faults. Therefore, internal friction is the main mechanism that makes TBCs effective dampers.