On the delamination of thermal barrier coatings in a thermal gradient

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems are susceptible to delamination failures in the presence of a large thermal gradient. These failures, which occur within the TBC layer, are very different in character from those associated with the thermally grown oxide. Three possible causes of internal delamination are analyzed. In all cases, the thermomechanical properties of the TBC are allowed to vary because of sintering. (a) One mechanism relates to exfoliation of an internal separation in the TBC due to a through thickness heat flux. (b) Another is concerned with edge-related delamination within a thermal gradient. (c) The third is a consequence of sintering-induced stresses. The results of these analyses, when used in combination with available properties for the TBC, strongly suggest that the second mechanism (b) predominates in all reasonable scenarios. Consequences for the avoidance of this failure mode are discussed.