ELSEVIER Surface and Coatings Technology 94-95 (1997) 64-69

Erosion behavior of uncoated Waspaloy and Waspaloy

coated with titanium carbide

Vesselin Shanov, Widen Tabakoff*, J.A. Gunaraj

Depnrfmmf of Aerospace Engineering rind Engineering Mechunics, University of Cirrrinnati. Cincinnnfi, OH 4.5’221, USA

Abstract

Turbines and engines operating in a particulate flow environment experience erosion and performance deterioration. The industrial
approach for decreasing the erosion of machine components is to apply wear resistance coatings. This paper describes an experimental
investigation performed to compare the behavior of uncoated and coated Waspaloy eroded in a media composed of chromite particles. The
specimens were coated with titanium carbide (Tic) by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The experimental program covered a
temperature range From ambient tempcmture to 538OC, the particle velocities ranging from 180 m s-’ to 305 m s-‘, and impingement angles
varying from 10” to 90”. The facility used for this work was a custom-made, high temperature erosion wind tunnel. The eroded surface
morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results obtained depict the influence of the temperature. velocity
and the impingement angle on the erosion rate. In addition to this, further data show the variation of the coating erosion rate with the
quantity of chromite powder used. The erosion rate behavior of the TiC coating with respect to the impingement angles reveals a brittle
characteristic trend. The uncoated superalloy behaves as a ductile material because the maximum erosion is between 30’ and 4.5”. It is
found that the sample temperature has a significant effect on the mat&al erosion rate. The erosion resistance of the CVD coating increases
at elevated temperatures, whereas that of uncoated Waspaloy decreases. The results indicate that the erosion rate for both uncoated and
coated samples is proportional to the particlc impact velocity to the power n. This investigation showed that the tested CVD titanium
carbide coating provides very good erosion protection for Waspaloy in a particulate flow environmentat elevatedtemperatures. 0 1997
Elsevier Science S.A.

Ke~n,ords: Waspaloy; Chromite particles; Titanium carbide coating; Chemical vapor deposition (CVD); Impingement angle; Erosion rate
at high temperatures

1. Introduction face layers of these coating materials and a bulk substrate,

The ingestion of particle matter such as sand and dust
wears the system componentsexposed to particulate flow.
An important researchtask is the development of better and
more durable high temperatureprotective coatings in order
to increase the lifetime of systems which are exposed to
aggressive erosion-corrosion environment. Ceramic coat-
ings such as refractory metal carbides,nitrides, and oxides
have been investigated very intensively becauseof their
high resistanceto erosion and corrosion. A comprehensive
source of information is reported in Ref. [l]. Titanium car-
bide (Tic), titanium nitride (TiN), and alumina (AlzO$, are
widely used as wear resistancecoatings for cemented car-
bide cutting tools such as inserts, drill bits, and saws 121.
The concept of a composite machine part, combining sur-
* Corresponding author.
beingtough enoughto stopcracks generatedat the surfaceis
attractive in the designof somemachine componentsoper-
ating in a particulate flow environment. Erosion studiesof
ceramic coatings applied on stainlesssteel (SS) or super-
alloy-basedsubstratesby plasmaspraying, sputtering, deto-
nation gun spraying (D-gun), and electro-spark detonation
are well describedin many articles [3-71.
The erosion resistanceof ceramic coatings is strongly
dependenton the coating processand on the substratemate-
rial [3,4]. Two basic coating techniqueshave been devel-
oped over the years: chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and
physical vapor deposition (PVD). Some PVD techniques,
notably sputtering and ion plating, can produce carbides
and nitrides of the same structure quality as a CVD deposi-
tion. CVD, however, currently remainsthe best coating for
deposition of thin ceramic, although competition from the
PVD techniqueslately has become more intense. Our pre-

02.57~8972f97i917.00 0 1997 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved

PII s0257-8972(97)00477-5
vious work demonstrated the excellent protection that CVD
coatings provide for superalloy substrates in particulate flow
environment [8,9].
The objective of the presented study was to investigate
the effect of the erosion parameters on the wear behavior of
Waspaloy, coated with CVD titanium carbide. For compar-
ison, erosion data of uncoated Waspaloy were also col-
lected. This nickel-based alloy is heat resistant and reveals
high strength. Waspaloy is frequently used for manufactur-
ing jet engine buckets, disks and high temperature bolts
[lo]. The effect of temperature on the erosion mechanism
of Waspaloy at constant particle velocity of 50 m s-l and
impingement angle of 30” is discussed in Ref. [I 11. To the
best of our knowledge, there is no information in the litera-
ture regarding erosion study of CVD coated Waspaloy.
2. Experimental details
2.1. Experimental set-up
A reactor hot wall was used for CVD deposition of the
TiC coating [7]. The charge is placed in a vacuum bell
which is heated up by an electrical furnace. The reactor
operated at a temperature of 1000°C and total pressure of
40 Torr (5333 Pa) [12,13]. The following gas mixture was
introduced into the reactor for TiC deposition: TiCId-H2-
CH+ Waspaloy was used as a substrate material on which
the CVD coating was grown at a deposition rate of about 1
Pd.
The high temperature erosion test facility was designed to
provide erosion data in the range of operating temperatures
experienced in compressors and turbines. In addition to the
high temperatures, the facility simulates all the erosion para-
meters determined to be important from an aerodynamic
point of view. These parameters include particle velocity,
angle of impact, particle size, particle concentration and
sample size [14].
2.2. Test conditiom and mnterials
The particle velocity, particle impingement angle, parti-
cle characteristics, and material sample temperature
strongly influence the erosion rate. These parameters were
varied in the present study for the tested TiC coatings
applied on Waspaloy. This metal alloy selected for the
test program is commonly used for turbine components.
The composition of Waspaloy was as follows: Waspaloy:
M 59.0, Cr 19.5, Co 13.5, MO 4.2, Ti 3.0, Mn 0.7, Fe 0.2, Al
1.2, c 0*07.
The particle velocity was controlled by changing the tun-
nel air pressure. The particle impingement angle was set by
rotating the sample relative to the flow stream direction. The
sample temperature was varied by heating the flow stream
which heats the sample to the desired temperature. Since the
solid particles in the steam turbines are mainly boiler scales,
chromite powder was used in the present investigation. This
erodent material is usually considered to be solid solutions
of various spinels. Chromite used for the erosion tests was
reported in our previous publications [3,7,15]. The erodent
powder was sifted and the fraction below 75 pm was used
for the experiments. This is a standard requirement for test-
ing erosion resistant surfaces for coatings used on steam
turbines.
Flat rectangular coupons were machined from Waspaloy
plate. The specimens were 26 mm long, 3 mm thick and 13
mm wide. The sample surfaces exposed to the environmen-
tal flow were coated with a 15-pm thick titanium carbide
film. The impact velocities changed from 180 to 305 m s’ at
temperatures from ambient to 538°C. Test data were accu-
mulated by setting the particle impingement angle at 20, 30,
50, 70 and 90”. The erosion tests were conducted to obtain
two types of erosion data, namely the erosion rates and the
cumulative erosion mass loss for the CVD coated and
uncoated Waspaloy. The erosion rate is defined as the
ratio between the change of the sample mass and the mass
of the impacting particles. The erosion rate tests were car-
ried out in one cycle using a certain amount of particles
impacting the sample surface. The wear did not exceed
75% of the total coating mass. The cumulative erosion
mass loss tests on the other hand were conducted in multiple
cycles. In each cycle, the specimen was impacted by a pre-
weighed increment of the particle mass. After each particle
mass increment had impacted the sample, its surface was
cleaned, the specimen was weighed, and the change in the
specimen mass was recorded. The erosion rate for each
successive particle increment was determined from the
obtained experimental data. Erosion duplicate tests were
run and only the mean values are presented. The uncertainty
of the obtained erosion rates was within 7%.
3. Erosion test results and discussion
The TiC coating on Waspaloy prepared by a CVD process
exhibits fine grained structure which was observed by scan-
ning electron microscopy (SEM) (Fig. 1).
3.1. Impact angle eflect on the erosion rnte
The variation in the erosion rate as a function of the
particle impact angle for CVD coated and uncoated Waspa-
loy is shown in Fig. 2. On inspection of this plot, it can be
seen that the erosion rate of the TiC coating increases with
increase in the impingement angle. The plot also shows that
the maximum erosion rate for the TiC coating corresponds
to a particle impact angle of 90”. Titanium carbide coating
exhibits a ‘brittle’ erosion behavior when exposed to parti-
culate flows. The same erosion pattern was ‘observed pre-
viously for TiC coating, on the Ni-based superalloys MAR
246 [S] and INCO 718 [9]. During the exposure of the
sample to the oncoming particulate flow the erosion rate
66 I? Shanov et al. / Sq%ce cmd Conrings Technology 94-95 (1997) 64-69

Fig. 3. Scanning electron micrograph of TIC coating on Waspaloy after

Fig. 1. Scanning electron micrograph af TIC coating on Waspaloy before erosion at 90’ impingement angle: T = 538”C, VP = 305 m s-‘, 20 g chro-
erosion: plan view. mite mass.

of the TiC coating was largely due to chipping. On further
observation by SEM (Fig. 3), the eroded surface displayed
no cracks or plastic deformation in the coating. This beha-
vior, we believe, is affected by the fine grained structure of
the coating and its good adhesion to the substrate. Similar
conclusions were made by Levy et al. concerning the low
erosion wear of CVD silicon carbide coating [ 121.
Variation of the erosion rate with the impact angle for
uncoated Waspaloy is also shown in Fig. 2. The erosion
rates of these specimens passes through a maximum close
to 45” impact angle. This pattern indicates the ductile nature
of the substrate. The chromite particles, striking the
uncoated specimen, ‘cut’ metal chips along the surface
and cause plastic deformation. This is shown in Fig. 3 for
a Waspaloy specimen at an impingement angle of 90”. The
7*oo
l”‘“O
material removal mechanism is based on flaking and
ploughing. Similar surface morphology was observed by
Chinnadurai and Bahadur [ 111for Waspaloy when impacted
with Sic particles. For uncoated Waspaloy, we obtained an
erosion rate of one order of magnitude higher than that of
the coated alloy at the same conditions. It can hence be
concluded that the CVD titanium carbide coating provides
very good erosion protection for the Waspaloy in particulate
flow environment.
3.2. Temnpemtureeffect
The variation in the TiC coated and uncoated Waspaloy
erosion rate with respect to the temperature of the particu-
late flow at an impact angle of 90” is presented in Fig. 5. It
was noticed that the erosion rate of the uncoated substrates
first decreased to 300°C and then increased as the tempera-
ture was increased to 538°C. According to Chinnadurai and

4.00 1 / I k I”*“”
P!
2
$j 3.00
E
0.
6
2.00

““““J”“‘l”l”““l”l
15 30 45 60 75
IMPINGEMENT ANGLE (degrees)

Rg. 2. Erosion rate variation of uncoated and coated Waspaloy with Fig. 4. Scanning electron micrograph of uncoated Waspaloy after erosion
impingement angle: T= 538”C, 16 = 305 m s-], 20 g chromite mass. at 90’ impingement angle: T = 538”C, tJP= 305 m s-l, 20 g chromite mass.
 V. Shnnov et nl. / Surjluce and Coarings Technology 94-95 (1997) 64-69 67

1.20

1 .oo

$ 0.80
E
5 0.60 I-
5
m
& 0.40

0.20

0.00 o Fig. 7. Scanning electron micrograph of TiC coating on Waspaloy after

TEMPERATURE (“C) erosion at 90” impingement angle: T= 25”C, VP = 180 m s-‘, 20 g chro-
mite mass.
Fig. 5. Variation of the uncoated and coated Waspaloy erosion rate with The effect of the temperature on the material’s physical
temperature at 90” impingement angle: V, = 180 m SK’,20 g chromite properties such as strength and hardness is of substantial
particles.
importance for further interpretation of the obtained results
Bahadur ill], the hardness of uncoated Waspaloy decreases [11,16-18-j.
with an increase in temperature and this causes an increase
in the erosion rate. 3.3. Particle velocity effect
As seen from Fig. 5, the erosion rate of coated specimens
decreases with rise in temperature. It is clear from these The effect of the particle impact velocity on the erosion
results that the TIC coating better protects the superalloy rate of TIC coated and uncoated Waspaloy is presented in
at elevated temperatures. Our previous study of CVD TiC
coatings on INCO 718 and stainless steel 410 showed simi-
lar behavior [9]. SE&I observations of the eroded coating on
Waspaloy at ambient temperature and at 538°C reveal more
destruction by the impacted particles on the surface mor-
phology at the lower temperature. The high temperature
erosion structure of the coating shown in Fig. 6 becomes
interrupted at ambient temperature by small craters (Fig. 7).

100 400
VELOCIN (m/s)
Fig. 6. Scanning electron micrograph of TiC coating on Waspaloy after
erosion at 90” impingement angle: T = 53PC, VP = 180 m P’, 20 g chro- Fig. 8. Variation of the uncoated and coated Waspaloy erosion rate with
mite mass. velocity at 90” impingement angle: T = 538’C, 20 g chromite particles.
68 V. Shrorov et ui. / Surjircr and Courings Technology 94-95 (1997) 64-69

ing the exposure of Waspaloy to the high temperature coat-

ing process. The erosion process and the surface coated life
depends on the particles concentration, size, hardness and
many other factors. A further composition and microstruc-
ture study of the coating/substrate interface is required and
such an investigation is in progress.

4. Summary and conclusions

A comparative study was conducted to investigate the

erosion behavior of uncoated Waspaloy and Waspaloy
coated with CVD titanium carbide. The experimental results
characterized the tested coating subjected to high tempera-
ture erosion by chromite particles. The effect of the impact
angle, particle velocity and temperature on the erosion rate
of the studied materials has been experimentally investi-
gated. It was found that the tested coating on Waspaloy
behaves as a brittle substance and its erosion rate decreases
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 at high temperatures. The uncoated Ni superalloy exhibits
MASS OF PARTICLES (g) ductile behavior and wears more at elevated temperatures.
The data obtained for the TiC coating showed one order of
Fig. 9. Titanium carbide coating weight loss variation with particle mass at
magnitude less erosion rate compared to the uncoated metal
90” impingement angle: T = 538”C, 16 = 30.5 m s-‘, chromite particles.
substrate. It was established that the erosion rates of both
uncoated and coated Waspaloy are proportional to the par-
Fig. 8. The experimental data show that the particle velocity ticle velocity to the power 12,where the exponent I? is 2.51
has a significant influence on the wear of both coating and for the coated metal and 2.31 for the uncoated substrate.
substrate material. The logarithmic plots prepared from This study demonstrated that the CVD titanium carbide
experimental data reveal linear behavior of the erosion coating provides very good erosion protection for Waspaloy
rate with the velocity. The velocity exponents II obtained when exposed to particulate flow at high temperatures.
from the power low curve fitting are 2.51 for coated Was-
paloy and 2.3 1 for uncoated substrare. The TIC exponent t7
3.0
is close to that reported for the same coating on stainless
steel-S5 3 10 substrate 191.

2.5
3.4. Pnrticlc rims effu oil the erosion rate

The cumulative mass erosion test result5 for the TiC coat-
ing on Waspaloy at 90” impingement angle are shown in F 2.0 h

Figs. 9 and 10. The non-linear rrlationship between the E

weight loss and the mass of impacting particles (Fig. 9) P
indicates that there is a continuous change in the erosion 2 1.5
rate. This is displayed in Fig. 10, nrhich presents the erosion 5
rate variation with the cumulative mass of particles. The z
erosion rate of the TiC coating on Waspaloy decreases initi- ; 1.0
ally due to the removal of a very thin top layer which has
been exposed to the coating process and to the atmospheric
environment. This thin top layer can be removed via polish- 0.5
ing. However, after a particle dose of 10 g, the erosion rate
remains steady with further increase of the impacting ero-
dent mass. After a particle dose of 40 g, the erosion rate 0.0
0 25 50 75 100 125 150
increases rapidly and reaches a constant value of about 2
MASS OF PARTICLES (g)
mg/g. The erosion rate of the uncoated Waspaloy is around
3.4 mglg and it was not reached after particle dose of 183 g.
Fig. 10. Variation bf the titanium carbide coating erosion rate with particle
The latter indicates existence of an intermediate layer mass at 90” impingement angle: T= 538”C, V, = 305 m s-l, chromite
between the coating and the substrate probably formed dur- particles.
 V. Shanoi et al. / Swfuce and Coatings Technolog) 94-95 (1997) 64-69 69

Acknowledgements [S] W. Tabakoff and V. Shanov, Sut$ Conr. Technol., 76/77 (1995)
15.
[9] V. Shanov and W. Tabakoff, Eruion Resisrance OJ’ Coatirzgs /or
This research was sponsored by NationaI Science Foun- Meral Prorecrion at E!evared Temperatures, presented at the Inter-
dation, Washington, DC, Grant INT-9204963.-Dr. V, Sha- national Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, April
nov would like to thank the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship 22-26, 1996, San Diego, CA.
Board for financial support. The authors thank Dr. J. Lian [lo] J.P. Frick, Wo’oidman’s Engecring Alloys, 7th edn., ASM International
for performing the SEM work. Materials Park, Ohio, 1990, p. 1318.
[l l] S. Chinnadurai and S. Baludur, I\‘eu, 186/187 (1995) 299.
[12] V. Shanov, W. Tabakoff and M. Metwally, Sur[i: Coat. Technoi., 54/
55 (1992) 25.
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