Failure mechanisms for Gd₂O₃–Yb₂O₃ co-doped YSZ thermal barrier coatings under high-temperature gradient

In this study, Gd₂O₃–Yb₂O₃ co-doped YSZ thermal barrier coatings with a top coat thickness of 400 μm were prepared on a nickel-based superalloy by atmospheric plasma spraying. The samples underwent multiple short-term and single long-term thermal exposures through burner rig tests under high-temperature gradients. The short-term thermal exposure duration of the coating was 25 s and the long-term thermal exposure duration was 1200 s. The microstructures and phase compositions of the samples were characterized, and their failure mechanism was discussed. The results demonstrate that during the burner rig tests, the coating surface temperature reached 2600K, resulting in coating sintering and sintered zone formation comprising coarse equiaxed grains. The short-term thermal exposure life of the coating is 3 cycles, and the long-term life is more than 1200s. After the single 1200s thermal exposure, the coating exhibited a stable cubic phase. However, under multiple 25s thermal exposures, the depth of the sintered zone increased with increasing number of cycles, leading to the formation of various vertical and transverse cracks within the coating. Coating failure was due to a combination of sintering and thermal-mismatch-induced stress.The early-stage coating delamination was attributed to sintering-induced transverse cracks, while the overall spallation was primarily ascribed to thermal-mismatch-induced transverse cracks.