Three-Dimensional Characterization of Cracks in a Columnar Thermal Barrier Coating System for Gas Turbine Applications

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are multilayered systems comprising a metallic oxidation protection layer or so-called bond coat, a ceramic topcoat, and a thermally grown aluminum oxide developing at the interface. The coating systems fail typically by delamination cracking near this interface, which has a complex three-dimensional morphology influencing the crack path. This study combines laser shock adhesion test to introduce an artificial interfacial crack, known in size and location, and focused ion beam coupled with scanning electron microscopy 3D serial sectioning tomography. Methods for proper segmentation of cracks and adjacent materials and quantitative evaluation of the complex crack system are proposed and applied for analyzing the crack tip region. Finally, derived from the three-dimensional segmentation, a finite element model has been achieved and used for thermal analysis highlighting the crucial role of local damage on thermal conductivity of the TBC.