Article protected by thermal barrier coating having a sintering inhibitor, and its fabrication

• Main Authors: VENKATARAMANI, VENKAT SUBRAMAN, ACKERMAN, JOHN FREDERICK, SPITSBERG, IRENE, DAROLIA, RAMGOPAL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 14.04.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

An article protected by a thermal barrier coating system (34) includes a substrate (30) having a substrate surface (32), and a thermal barrier coating system (34) overlying the substrate (30). The thermal barrier coating system (34) has a thermal barrier coating (46) formed of a thermal barrier coating material arranged as a plurality of columnar grains (48) extending generally perpendicular to the substrate surface (32) and having grain surfaces (49). A sintering inhibitor is within the columnar grains (48) but concentrated at the grain surfaces (49). The sintering inhibitor is a reaction product of the thermal barrier coating material and an inhibitor precursor material that preferably includes an inhibitor element such as barium, strontium, tantalum, lanthanum, neodymium, ytterbium, gadolinium, niobium, and mixtures thereof. The sintering inhibitor has a melting point greater than about 1200 DEG C.