The presence and irregular growth of thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer between bond coat and top coat during the service in the environment of high temperature may cause local stress concentration and micro-crack initiation.In this paper, a finite element model was established with an irregular morphology of TGO for stress analysis.The mechanical properties including plasticity and creep strain were taken into account during the simulation.The results show that the stress near the TGO changes during the thermal cycles and the maximum tensile stress concentration appears at the shoulders of TGO convex due to the irregular growth of TGO.In the cooling stage, cracks will appear and propagate with increasing of the thermal cycle,leading to the failure of TGO bulge and also the ultimately failure of thermal barrier coatings.