Tribo-performance of plasma-sprayed nanostructured yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings using Taguchi's experimental design

Abstract

Plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings are frequently subjected to impacts by solid particles, which induce surface erosion. This article depicts the solid particle erosion response of plasma sprayed nanostructured yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings on Inconel 718 substrates. The influence of five operating parameters i.e. impact velocity, erodent size, erodent temperature, impingement angle, and stand-off distance with four different level each, on performance output (i.e. erosion rate) are studied using Taguchi's L-16 orthogonal array design. Out of the five parameters, impact velocity has been found to be most significant factor followed by erodent temperature and impingement angle influencing erosion. Maximum erosion takes place at an impingement angle of approximate to 60 degrees showing the semi-ductile response of the coating to solid particle erosion. The morphology of the eroded surface also showed micro-cutting and small crater formation in the binder matrix caused by the repetitive impacts of erodent particles. It was observed that coating with nano-YSZ grains exhibited higher erosion resistance compared to conventional YSZ coating.