Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

On Cracks And Delaminations Of Thermal Barrier Coatings Due To Indentation Testing: Experimental Investigations, Jin Yan, Thorsten Leist, Marion Bartsch, Anette M. Karlsson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Rockwell indentation testing as a method of establishing the interfacial fracture toughness of thermal barrier coatings is investigated. To this end, indentation tests have been systematically performed on coatings with yttria-stabilized zirconia top coat deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition. Specimens in “as-coated” condition and after heat treatment in air have been studied. Unexpectedly, indentation of the heat-treated samples resulted in smaller delaminations than the as-coated samples, suggesting an increase in fracture toughness for coatings subjected to elevated temperatures. Careful image analyses of the cross-section of the indented area show that the ceramic top coat undergoes a complex damage …