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Superalloy
Coating of superalloys
Superalloy products that are subjected to high working temperatures
and corrosive atmosphere (such as high pressure turbine region of jet
engines) are coated with various kinds of coating. Several kinds of
coating process are applied: pack cementation process, gas phase
coating (both are a type of chemical vapor deposition (CVD)), thermal
spraying, and physical vapor deposition. In most cases, after the
coating process near-surface regions of parts are enriched with
aluminum, the matrix of the coating being nickel aluminide.
Pack cementation process
The pack cementation process is carried out at lower temperatures,
about 750 C. The parts are loaded into boxes that contain a mixture of
powders: active coating material, containing aluminum, activator
(chloride or fluoride), and thermal ballast, like aluminum oxide. At high
temperatures the gaseous aluminum chloride is transferred to the
surface of the part and diffuses inside (mostly inward diffusion). After
the end of the process the so-called "green coating" is produced, which
is too thin and brittle for direct use. A subsequent diffusion heat
treatment (several hours at temperatures about 1080 C) leads to
further inward diffusion and formation of the desired coating.
Thermal spraying
Thermal spraying is a process of applying coatings by heating a
feedstock of precursor material and spraying it on a surface. Different
specific techniques are used depending on desired particle size, coat
thickness, spray speed, desired area, etc. [39] The coatings applied by
thermal spraying of any kind, however, rely on adhesion to the surface.
As a result, the surface of the superalloy must be cleaned and
prepared, usually polished, before application of the thermal coating.[40]
Plasma spraying
Of the various thermal spray methods, one of the more ideal and
commonly used techniques for coating superalloys is plasma spraying.
This is due to the versatility of usable coatings, and the high-

temperature performance of plasma-sprayed coatings. [41] Plasma

spraying can accommodate a very wide range of materials, much more
so than other techniques. As long as the difference between melting
and decomposition temperatures is greater than 300 Kelvin, a material
can be melted and applied as a coating via plasma spraying.[42]
Gas phase coating
This process is carried out at higher temperatures, about 1080 C. The
coating material is usually loaded onto special trays without physical
contact with the parts to be coated. The coating mixture contains
active coating material and activator, but usually does not contain
thermal ballast. As in the pack cementation process, the gaseous
aluminium chloride (or fluoride) is transferred to the surface of the
part. However, in this case the diffusion is outwards. This kind of
coating also requires diffusion heat treatment.
Thermal barrier coatings
Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are used extensively on the surface of
superalloy in both commercial and military gas turbine engines to
increase component life and engine performance. [43] A coating of about
1-200 m can reduce the temperature at the superalloy surface by up
to 200K. TBCs are really a system of coatings consisting of a bond coat,
a thermally grown oxide (TGO), and a thermally insulating ceramic top
coat. In most applications, the bond coat is either a MCrAlY (where
M=Ni or NiCo) or a Pt modified aluminide coating. A dense bond coat is
required to provide protection of the superalloy substrate from
oxidation and hot corrosion attack and to form an adherent, slow
growing TGO on its surface. The TGO is formed by oxidation of the
aluminum that is contained in the bond coat. The current (first
generation) thermal insulation layer is composed of 7wt % yttria
stabilized zirconia (7YSZ) with a typical thickness of 100-300 m. Yttria
stabilized zirconia is used due to its low thermal conductivity (2.6W/mK
for fully dense material), relatively high coefficient of thermal
expansion, and good high temperature stability. The electron beam
directed vapor deposition (EB-DVD) process used to apply the TBC to
turbine airfoils produces a columnar microstructure with several levels
of porosity. The porosity between the columns is critical to providing
strain tolerance (via a very low in-plane modulus), as it would
otherwise spall on thermal cycling due to thermal expansion mismatch
with the superalloy substrate. The porosity within the columns reduces
the thermal conductivity of the coating.
Bond coat

The bond coat adheres the thermal barrier coating to the superalloy
substrate. Additionally, the bond coat provides oxidation protection
and functions as a diffusion barrier against the motion of substrate
atoms towards the environment.
There are five major types of bond coats, the aluminides, the platinumaluminides, MCrAlY, cobalt-cermets, and nickel-chromium.
For the aluminide bond coatings, the final composition and structure of
the coating depends on the composition of the substrate. Aluminides
also lack ductility below 750 C, and exhibit a limited by
thermomechanical fatigue strength.
The Pt-aluminides are very similar to the aluminide bond coats except
for a layer of Pt (5-10 m) deposited on the blade. The Pt is believed to
aid in oxide adhesion and contributes to hot corrosion. The cost of Pt
plating is justified by the increased blade life span.
The MCrAlY is the latest generation of bond coat and does not strongly
interact with the substrate. Normally applied by plasma spraying,
MCrAlY coatings are secondary aluminum oxide formers. This means
that the coatings form an outer layer of chromium oxide (chromia), and
a secondary aluminum oxide (alumina) layer underneath. These oxide
formations occur at high temperatures in the range of those that
superalloys usually encounter.[44] The chromia provides oxidation and
hot-corrosion resistance. The alumina controls oxidation mechanisms
by limiting oxide growth by self-passivating. The yttrium enhances the
oxide adherence to the substrate, and limits the growth of grain
boundaries (which can lead to flaking of the coating). [45] Investigation
indicates that addition of rhenium and tantalum increases oxidation
resistance.
Cobalt-cermet based coatings consisting of materials such as tungsten
carbide/cobalt can be used due to excellent resistance to abrasion,
corrosion, erosion, and heat.[46] These cermet coatings perform well in
situations where temperature and oxidation damage are significant
concerns, such as boilers. One of the unique advantages of cobalt
cermet coatings is a minimal loss of coating mass over time, due to the
strength of carbides within the mixture. Overall, cermet coatings are
useful in situations where mechanical demands are equal to chemical
demands for superalloys.
Nickel-chromium coatings are used most frequently in boilers fed by
fossil fuels, electric furnaces, and waste incineration furnaces, where
the danger of oxidizing agents and corrosive compounds in the vapor
must be dealt with.[47] The specific method of spray-coating depends on

the composition of the coatings. Nickel-chromium coatings that also

contain iron or aluminum perform much better (in terms of corrosion
resistance) when they are sprayed and laser glazed, while pure nickelchromium coatings perform better when thermally sprayed exclusively.
[48]