Thermo-physical properties of plasma sprayed Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Coatings

This article investigates the thermo-physical properties of plasma sprayed zirconia coatings produced by agglomerates of submicron size particles as the feedstock. The microstructure of these deposits is consisted of splats and non-molten particles. This bimodal structure generally shows a better performance than conventional coatings. The agglomerated feedstock with internal submicron size porosity may significantly affect porosity related properties, such as the thermal diffusivity. In this study different process parameters were used to deposit yttria stabilized zirconia coatings with conventional and bimodal structures. Results showed a good correlation between the shape and distribution of pores and thermal diffusivity of the coatings.