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- Jonnalagadda, Krishna Praveen, 1988-
(author)
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Thermal Barrier Coatings : Failure Mechanisms and Life Prediction
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) use in the hot sections of gas turbine engine enables them to run at higher temperatures, and as a consequence, achieve higher thermal efficiency. For full operational exploitation of TBCs, understanding their failure and knowing the service life is essential. The broad objective of the current research is to study the failure mechanisms of new TBC materials and deposition techniques during corrosion and thermal cycling and to develop life models capable of predicting the final failure during thermal cycling.Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has constraints such as limited operation temperature, despite being the current industry standard. Pyrochlores of A2B2O7 type have been suggested as a potential replacement for YSZ and were studied in this work. Additionally, improvements to the conventional YSZ in the form of nanostructured YSZ were also explored. The requirement for the new deposition process comes from the fact that the existing low-cost deposition processes, like atmospheric plasma spray (APS), generally exhibit lower strain tolerance. A relatively new technique, suspension plasma spray (SPS), known to be promising with better strain tolerance, has been studied in this work.At the gas turbine operating conditions, TBCs degrade and eventually fail. Common failure observed in gas turbines can be due to corrosion, thermal mismatch between the ceramic and the metallic layers, and bond coat oxidation during thermal cycling. SPS and APS TBCs were subjected to different test conditions to understand their corrosion behavior. A study on the multi-layered SPS TBCs in the presence of V2O5+Na2SO4 showed that YSZ based SPS coatings were less susceptible to corrosion damage compared to Gd2Zr2O7 SPS TBCs. A study on the influence of a sealing layer in multi-layered SPS TBCs in the presence of Na2SO4+NaCl showed that the sealing layer is ineffective if the material used for sealing is inert to the molten salts. A new study on the influence of corrosion, caused by a mixed-gas atmosphere, on the thermal cycling fatigue life of SPS TBCs was conducted. Results showed that corrosive products grew inside the top coat close to the bond coat/top coat interface along with accelerated growth of alumina. These, together, reduced the TCF life of corrosion exposed samples significantly. Finally, a study on the influence of salt concentration and temperature on a thin (dense) and a thick (porous) coating showed that thick and porous coatings have lower corrosion resistance than the thin and dense coatings. Additionally, a combination of low temperature and high salt concentration was observed to cause more damage.Thermal cycling studies were done with the objective of understanding the failure mechanisms and developing a life model. A life model based on fracture mechanics approach has been developed by taking into account different crack growth paths during thermal cycling, sintering of the top coat, oxidation of the bond coat and the thermal mismatch stresses. Validation of such a life model by comparing to the experimental results showed that the model could predict the TCF life reasonably well at temperatures of 1100 °C or below. At higher temperatures, the accuracy of the model became worse. As a further development, a simplified crack growth model was established. This simplified model was shown to be capable of predicting the TCF life as well as the effect of hold times with good accuracy.
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| 2. |
- Li, Peng, 1986-
(author)
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Innovative process solutions towards recycling of salt cake from secondary aluminum smelting
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- To offer better solutions for the recycling of salt cake from secondary aluminum melting, several innovative investigations were carried out based on hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical views.Thermal diffusivity measurements as a function of temperature on salts-Al composites having various compositions (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12wt pct metallic Al) were carried out. Its attempt to derive theoretical relationships between aluminium contents in the salt-Al composites and the thermal conductivities so that these would serve as calibration curves for industrial samples taken out from secondary aluminium re-melting at a later stage.The AlN hydrolysis behavior in NaCl solution was investigated by immersing pure AlN powder in deionized water, 0.3mol/l NaCl aq, 0.6mol/l NaCl aq and NaCl solution respectively with CO2 bubbling at 291K. The results showed that AlN powder underwent enhanced hydrolysis in NaCl aq than that in deionized water, while, the introduction of CO2 was found to hinder the hydrolysis even in the presence of NaCl. The characterization of the products after hydrolysis was carried out using XRD, SEM and TEM analyses. It was shown that the hydrolysis process included a slow-reaction period involving the dissolution of aluminum hydroxide layer around raw AlN particle, followed by the precipitation of aluminum hydroxide gel and the crystallization of boehmite, bayerite and gibbsite. The effects of sodium chloride concentration on the hydrolysis behavior are presented.The leaching process in CO2-saturated water showed that, at a solid to liquid ratio of 1:20 and 3h at 291K, the extraction of Na and K from the dross could be kept as high as 95.6% and 95.9%, respectively. At the same time, with continuous CO2 bubbling, the mass of generated NH3 during the leaching process decreased significantly, also the escaping NH3 gas decreased from 0.25mg in pure water down to <0.006mg. The above results showed that the introduction of CO2 causes hindrance to the hydrolysis of AlN, meanwhile, effective absorption of ammonia. The plausible mechanisms for the observed phenomena are discussed. The concept of the leaching of the salt cake by carbonated water and the consequent retention of AlN in the leach residue opens up a promising route towards an environment-friendly recycling process for the salt cake viz. recovery of the salts, utilization of CO2 and further processing of the dross residue, towards the synthesis of SiAlON from the leach residues. In alternative route to the processing of salt cake, the ammonia gas evolved by hydrolysis of AlN was collected by CO2-saturated water during water leaching at 373K. The products, i.e. ammonium carbonates which are free of chlorides, has application as a fertilizer, besides that, this method also has the advantage of fixing carbon from CO2, which is the subject of many investigations around the world.The oxidation behavior of composites SiMgAlON phases (β-SiAlON, MgAlON and 15R) synthesized from the residue during the leaching treatment of salt cake and corresponding synthetic samples was investigated in air by thermogravimetric measurements. The oxidation studies reveal the effects of impurities, namely, Fe2O3 and CaO present in the salt cake residue. From the view of kinetics, the addition of Fe2O3 brings a lower activation energy and more aggressive oxidation. The additive of CaO caused the shrinkage during the synthesis and liquid formation during the oxidation above 1673K, thus retard the oxidation rate. The impurities of CaO and Fe2O3 in the leaching residue can result in an aggressive oxidation at low temperature and a protective oxidation at temperatures above the eutectic point. From the view of phase evolution, with the progress of oxidation, the composition of the material being oxidized moved towards the Al2O3-rich corner of MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 or CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 phase diagrams relevant to SiMgAlON composite. At lower temperatures, the addition of Fe2O3 and CaO facilitated the formation of cordierite and anorthite, respectively. With the increasing of temperature, islands of silicate melt were formed dissolving these oxides, with the liquidus temperature getting lowered as a consequence. The liquid phase formed engulfed the adjacent solid phases providing strong mobility for the cations and enabling the crystal growth. As a result, intermediate products, i.e. cordierite, anorthite, spinel, which formed earlier during oxidation are found to get dissolved in the liquid phase.
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| 3. |
- Yuan, Kang, 1987-
(author)
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Oxidation and Corrosion of New MCrAlX Coatings : Modelling and Experiments
- 2014
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- MCrAlY coatings (“M” for Ni and/or Co) are widely used for the protection of superalloy components operated at high temperatures such as in the hot sections of gas turbines. The exposure to high temperature can cause coating degradation due to oxidation or hot corrosion at the coating surface. Microstructures in the coating and the coating life are affected also by the diffusion of alloying elements through the coating-superalloy interface. This PhD project, by applying thermodynamic modelling and experimental tests, investigates the oxidation and hot corrosion behavior of new MCrAlX coatings, in which X, referring to minor elements, is used to highlight the functions of such elements.In order to understand and predict the coating degradation progress during thermal exposure, an oxidation-diffusion model has been established for MCrAlX coating-superalloy systems, which integrates the oxidation of aluminum at coating surface, diffusion of alloying elements, and the diffusion-blocking effect in the materials. The predicted chemical composition profile and microstructure agreed well with experimental results in a CoNiCrAlYSiTa-Inconel 792 system. The model was further applied in several coating-superalloy systems to study the influence of coating composition, superalloy composition and temperature on the evolution of microstructure in the coating and the coating life. The results have demonstrated the potential of the model in designing new durable MCrAlX coatings. In addition to the applications in coating-superalloy systems, the model was also adapted for studying the microstructural development in a superalloy in which internal oxidation and nitridation occurred in an oxidation process.The oxidation behavior of some HVOF MCrAlX coatings was studied by thermal exposure at different temperatures (900, 1000, 1100 °C). Different spinels formed above the alumina scale, depending on the oxidation temperature. The minor alloying elements, Ru and Ir, had no direct influence on the oxidation behavior but may affect the phase stability in the coating.MCrAlX coatings were also tested in 48-hour cycles at 900 °C in different hot corrosion environments containing sulphates and/or SO2. The results showed that the coating performance was dependent on coating quality, concentration of Al and Cr in the coating, and the hot corrosion condition. It was also found that the addition of SO2 in the environment may not necessarily be bad for hot corrosion resistance of some MCrAlY coatings.
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| 4. |
- Zhang, Pimin, 1990-
(author)
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Performance of MCrAlX coatings : Oxidation, Hot corrosion and Interdiffusion
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- MCrAlY coatings (M=Ni and/or Co) are widely used for the protection of superalloy components against oxidation and hot corrosion in the hot sections of gas turbines. The drive for coating systems to bestow adequate oxidation and corrosion resistance upon the components becomes urgent as an inevitable result of the necessary improvement in engine combustion efficiency and service lifetime. Through the careful design of the composition, MCrAlY coating performance can be optimized to meet the needs under different service conditions and component materials, therefore, “MCrAlX”, with “X” stands for the minor alloying elements, is used to highlight the effect. In the present thesis, the performance of new MCrAlX coatings is investigated with respect to oxidation, hot corrosion and interactions between coating-superalloy substrates.Oxidation of MCrAlX coatings can be generally categorized into initial, steady and close-to-end stages. Coating performance can be affected by various factors at different stages, therefore, experiments were designed by targeting the oxidation stages. Investigation on the initial stage oxidation behavior of MCrAlY coatings with post-deposition surface treatments reveals the different growth mechanisms of alumina scales. Surface treatments significantly reduce the alumina growth rate by suppressing transient alumina development and aiding the early formation of α-Al2O3, which improves the long-term oxidation performance of the coating. Similarly, the modification of minor alloy elements in MCrAlX coatings also serves the purpose. The oxidation behavior of new MCrAlX coatings was investigated at the steady oxidation stage, followed by the microstructure observation, thermodynamic and kinetic simulations. As an alternative reactive element addition of Y, Ce shows a negative effect on the formation of columnar alumina scales of high strain tolerance. In comparison, Fe or Ru addition shows no influence on alumina growth, rather than strengthening the phase stability in the coating and reducing the interdiffusion between coating-substrate through different mechanisms. As the oxidation proceeds to the close-to-end stage, a reliable criterion to estimate the capability of coating to form α-Al2O3 is of great importance to accurately evaluate coating lifetime. A temperature-dependent critical Al-activity criterion was proposed to better predict the formation of a continuous α-Al2O3 scale based on correction of elemental activity using thermodynamic database to replace the empirical Al-concentration based criterion.Severe interdiffusion occurs between coating-substrate during high temperature oxidation, accelerating the degradation of the system. Interdiffusion behavior of diffusion couples of superalloys-MCrAlX coatings were examined. It is highlighted that the recrystallization of superficial layer of the substrate contributes to the secondary reaction zone formation and element interdiffusion controls subsequent zone thickening.Study on Type I hot corrosion behavior of new MCrAlX coatings shows that the addition of Fe has no influence on basic fluxing reactions before severe Al depletion from the coating occurs. Instead, it boosts the “effective” Al supply of coating by shifting the equilibrium concentration of Al in the γ phase to a low Al level. Besides, the pre-mature coating degradation at the coating-substrate interface was due to the fast growth of corrosion products from substrate induced large local volume expansions, resulting in early coating spallation.
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