The suspension plasma spray (SPS) process was used to produce coatings from yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powders with median diameters of 15 lm and 80 nm. The powder-ethanol suspensions made with 15-lm diameter YSZ particles formed coatings with microstructures typical of the air plasma spray (APS) process, while suspensions made with 80-nm diameter YSZ powder yielded a coarse columnar microstructure not observed in APS coatings. To explain the formation mechanisms of these different microstructures, a hypothesis is presented which relates the dependence of YSZ droplet flight paths on droplet diameter to variations in deposition behavior. The thermal conductivity (k th ) of columnar SPS coatings was measured as a function of temperature in the as-sprayed condition and after a 50 h, 1200°C heat treatment. Coatings produced from suspensions containing 80 nm YSZ particles at powder concentrations of 2, 8, and 11 wt.% exhibited significantly different k th values. These differences are connected to microstructural variations between the SPS coatings produced by the three suspension formulations. Heat treatment increased the k th of the coatings generated from suspensions containing 2 and 11 wt.% of 80 nm YSZ powder, but this k th increase was less than has been observed in APS coatings.

Suspension plasma spraying has become an emerging technology for the production of thermal barrier coatings for the gas turbine industry. Presently, though commercial systems for coating production are available, coatings remain in the development stage. Suitable suspension parameters for coating production remain an outstanding question and the influence of suspension properties on the final coatings is not well known. For this study, a number of suspensions were produced with varied solid loadings, powder size distributions and solvents. Suspensions were sprayed onto superalloy substrates coated with high velocity air fuel (HVAF) -sprayed bond coats. Plasma spray parameters were selected to generate columnar structures based on previous experiments and were maintained at constant to discover the influence of the suspension behavior on coating microstructures. Testing of the produced thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems has included thermal cyclic fatigue testing and thermal conductivity analysis. Pore size distribution has been characterized by mercury infiltration porosimetry. Results show a strong influence of suspension viscosity and surface tension on the microstructure of the produced coatings.

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) has become an interesting method for the production of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine components. The development of the SPS process has led to structures with segmented vertical cracks or column-like structures that can imitate strain-tolerant air plasma spraying (APS) or electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) coatings. Additionally, SPS coatings can have lower thermal conductivity than EB-PVD coatings, while also being easier to produce. The combination of similar or improved properties with a potential for lower production costs makes SPS of great interest to the gas turbine industry. This study compares a number of SPS thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with vertical cracks or column-like structures with the reference of segmented APS coatings. The primary focus has been on lifetime testing of these new coating systems. Samples were tested in thermo-cyclic fatigue at temperatures of 1100 °C for 1 h cycles. Additional testing was performed to assess thermal shock performance and erosion resistance. Thermal conductivity was also assessed for samples in their as-sprayed state, and the microstructures were investigated using SEM.

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