The interaction of calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicates (CMAS) with Yb 2 Si 2 O 7-based multilayer environmental barrier coatings was studied using a combination of high-energy synchrotron X-ray techniques. Changes in the phase-specific stresses and lattice spacings as a function of temperature were investigated with wide-angle X-ray scattering. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to study the interaction of CMAS with nanoporosity, while X-ray computed tomography was used to study the formation of cracks in the coating. It was found that CMAS interacts strongly with the Yb 2 Si 2 O 7 topcoat, leading to changes in lattice spacing, alterations of the ambient temperature stresses, and large cracks in the CMAS that extend through the topcoat.

Silicon‐based ceramics (SiC, Si3N4) are promising materials systems for high‐temperature structural applications in gas turbine engines. However, the silica layer that forms on these materials is susceptible to attack from water vapor present in combustion environments. To protect against this degradation, environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) have been developed to shield the underlying substrate and prevent degradation. Here we report on elastic and thermal properties, as well as internal stresses of candidate multilayer coatings, as measured in situ using microfocused high‐energy X‐rays in a transmission diffraction geometry. Doped aluminosilicate coatings were investigated for their stability on a SiC/SiC melt‐infiltrated substrate. The coatings consisted of a Ba1−xSrxAl2Si2O8 topcoat with a mullite or mullite+SrAl2Si2O8 interlayer, and a silicon bond coat. A numerical model was used to compare the stress results with an ideal coating system. Experiments were carried out on as‐sprayed and heat‐treated samples in order to analyze the strain and phase evolution as a function of multilayer depth and temperature. The phase transformation of the topcoat promoted healing of cracks in the EBC and reduced stresses in the underlying layers and the addition of SAS to the interlayer reduced stresses in thermally cycled coatings, but did not stop cracks from forming.

The biaxial stress and thermal expansion of multilayer doped-aluminosilicate environmental barrier coatings were measured in situ during cooling using microfocused high-energy X-rays in transmission. Coating stresses during cooling from 1000 ° C were measured for as-sprayed and thermally cycled samples. In the as-sprayed state, tensile stresses as high as 75 MPa were measured in the doped-aluminosilicate topcoat at 375 °C, after which a drop in the sti;ess occurred accompanied by through-thickness cracking of the two outermost layers. After thermally cycling the samples, the stress in the topcoat was reduced to approximately 50 MPa, and there was no drop in stress upon cooling. This stress reduction was attributed to a crystallographic phase transformation of the topcoat and the accompanying change in thermal expansion coefficient. The addition of a doped aluminosilicate to the mullite layer did not lower the stress in the topcoat, but may offer increased durability due to an increased compressive stress.

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