RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ZIRCONIA THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS

Abstract

Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are finding increasing applications in aeronautical, chemical, metallurgy industries, etc. As a ceramic material, ZrO 2 is one of the most widely used for TBCs owing to its excellent shock resistance, low thermal conductivity and relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). In this paper the thermomechanical properties of ZrO 2 and the evolution of ZrO 2-TBCs are reviewed. The failure mechanism of TBCs and corresponding methods for lengthening the lifetime of TBCs are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of graded thermal barrier coatings (GTBC) as well as the problems to be solved in fabricating advanced TBCs are elucidated.