Nickel superalloys are commonly used in the high temperature sections of aero- and land-based turbines blades. Protection of these materials by coatings is required to improve their resistance to oxidation beyond 900°C. The conventional process consists of a β-NiAl, which allows to form a protective alumina scale with alow oxidation kinetic. In the hottest parts of the turbine, a ceramic is used as a thermal barrier coating in addition to an internal cooling system in order to diminish the temperature seen at the metallic substrate surface. However, these existing methods are expensive, long and pollutant. Thus, this PhD thesis aims at producing a new thermal barrier system in one step, in the frame of the European project Particoat. Its concept is to apply on the substrate an aqueous slurry containing aluminum microparticles. Then, during an appropriate heat treatment the metallic particles sinter and oxidize completely resulting in a quasi-foam structure made of alumina hollow spheres (TBC). Simultaneously, the diffusion of the Al into the substrate creates a bond coat below the TBC. This coating formation is studied on model alloy (pure nickel) and on three different superalloys (René N5, PWA-1483 and CM-247). The pure nickel coated system is tested during isothermal and cyclic oxidation between 900°C and 1100°C whereas the degradation of the superalloys is realized upon cyclic oxidation at 1000°C and 1100°C. The overall results show a good resistance of this new thermal barrier system, enlightened by an industrial aluminide coatings comparison.
