Strain tolerance evolution of EB-PVD TBCs after thermal exposure or CMAS attack

The microstructural evolution and Young's modulus evolution of EB-PVD TBCs upon thermal exposure and separately after CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ (CMAS) attack have been compared and investigated. Moduli measured by four methods all show an increase due to sintering whereas their rates of increase are different. On finer scale (i.e. nano indentation), modulus increases from 87.3 GPa in as-deposited coatings to 198 GPa after sintering at 1400 °C for 100 h. While on global scale, the modulus increases from below 10 GPa to153 GPa after identical exposure. For the CMAS attacked TBCs at 1300 °C for 0.5 h, modulus values acquired by different methods are much closer. The effect of sintering and CMAS infiltration on coating^’s structural integrity is discussed in terms of elastic strain energy available for driving edge delamination. The energy release rate of CMAS attacked TBCs at 1300 °C for 0.5 h is ∼1200 J/m², which is equivalent to that of TBCs exposed at 1400 °C for 250 h (no CMAS).