The modeling of coating thickness, heat transfer, and fluid flow and its correlation with the thermal barrier coating microstructure for a plasma sprayed gas turbine application

The plasma spray deposition of a zirconia thermal barrier coating (TBC) on a gas turbine component was examined using analytical and experimental techniques. The coating thickness was simulated by the use of commercial off-line software. The impinging jet was modeled by means of a finite difference elliptic code using a simplified turbulence model. Powder particle velocity, temperature history, and trajectory were calculated using a stochastic discrete particle model. The heat transfer and fluid flow models were then used to calculate transient coating and substrate temperatures using the finite element method. The predicted thickness, temperature, and velocity of the particles and the coating temperatures were compared with these measurements, and good correlations were obtained. The coating microstructure was evaluated by optical and scanning microscopy techniques. Special attention was paid to the crack structures within the top coating. Finally, the correlation between the modeled parameters and the deposit microstructure was studied. (Author)