Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
This work describes a methodology developed to predict the thermal shock behaviour of thin bi-material ceramic systems. An experimental procedure based on controlled air cooling has been devised to simulate the flow of a gas stream over the surface of a thin two-layer ceramic system. Results of microstructural and fractographic investigations conducted on tested samples, including representative fracture patterns and crack initiation sites, are presented. A probabilistic-deterministic approach to predict the thermal shock behaviour of bi-material ceramic systems is proposed. Failure diagrams are constructed from a combination of the experimental and analytical studies. Critical thermal transient conditions typical of start-up and shut-down operation in solid oxide fuel cell are determined.