Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Low-temperature thermal cycling of plasma sprayed zirconia coatings viacurvature measurements is used to quantify their nonlinear mechanicalbehavior. The nonlinear feature arises from the unique layered, porous andcracked morphology of thermal sprayed ceramic materials. With thisprocedure, various specimens were tested to investigate the effects ofprocessing condition. The measured nonlinear properties are interpreted inthe context of microstructural changes in the plasma sprayed coatings due todifferences in particle state upon impact and coating build-up. Theimplications of this study are significant for thermo-mechanical design ofstrain-tolerant ceramic coatings in thermal barrier applications.