Thermal barrier coatings and electron-beam, physical vapor deposition for making same

摘要

A thermal barrier coating for component parts suitable for high temperature applications, such as turbine engines, are disclosed. The coating are made in an electron-beam, physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) apparatus and have a microstructure including a plurality of substantially discrete columnar layers. The barrier coatings of the present invention advantageously resist thermal conduction through the coating by inhibiting the mean free path available for the conduction of heat thereby protecting an underlying metallic substrate exposed to a high temperature environment. ;Embodiments of the present invention include a zirconium containing ceramic coating having 3 to about 10 discrete columnar layers wherein each layer has a thickness of about 150 microns or less and methods of forming the ceramic coatings including interrupting the evaporating and deposition of the ceramic material in an EB-PVD system by isolating the metallic substrate from the evaporated material for a period of about 10 seconds to about 10 minutes periodically for 3 to about 20 intervals.