MCrAlY coating design based on oxidation–diffusion modelling. Part II: Lifing aspects

Coatings from MCrAlY-type alloys are commonly used for oxidation and corrosion protection in gas turbines. As coated components are exposed to high temperature, the coating provides oxidation protection by the formation of an alumina scale, thus depleting the coating of Al which, eventually, will cause the coating to fail. The present study deals with MCrAlY alloy design from a lifing perspective. A previously developed coupled oxidation–diffusion model was used to study the influence of coating composition, substrate composition and oxidation temperature on the expected life of MCrAlY coatings. Eight model coatings, covering the wide range of MCrAlY compositions used industrially, and two model substrates, corresponding to a blade material and a combustor material, were evaluated by the oxidation–diffusion model. Three life criteria were tried: 1) β-phase-depletion, 2) critical Al content at the coating surface, and 3) a critical TGO thickness. It was shown that the critical TGO thickness was the most conservative life criterion for high-Al coatings on high-Al substrates. For low-Cr and low-Co coatings, the β-depletion criterion was usually the most conservative. For cases where β-stability was high (such as at low temperatures and for coatings high in Cr, Co and Al) the critical-Al criterion was often the most conservative.