Tribological Properties of Pulsed Laser Deposited WSex(Ni)/DLC Coatings

The tribological performance and tribochemistry of both single-layer WSe_x(Ni) and bilayer WSe_x(Ni)/diamond-like carbon coatings formed on steel substrates by pulsed laser deposition are evaluated. The ball-on-disk tests of the coatings in air show that at a laser fluence of 100 J cm^–2 and a partial pressure of argon 2 Pa, the endurance of the top WSe_x(Ni) film in the bilayer coating is nearly four times greater than for single-layer WSe_x(Ni) film. For the top WSe₂(Ni) layer 170 nm thick, deposited onto DLC coating 200 nm, the coating friction coefficient was kept 0.03–0.09 during nearly 2 × 10⁴ cycles.     

Diamond-like carbon coatings with nanocomposite structure formed by reactive magnetron sputtering of chrome in an Ar + C2H2 + N2 gas mixture and their tribological behavior

Results of a complex study of the structure, the phase and chemical compositions, the microhardness, as well as the nanomechanical and tribological properties of a-C: H: Cr: N hydrogenated amorphous carbon coatings are presented; these coatings were formed by the reactive magnetron sputtering of chromium at various concentrations of nitrogen and acetylene in the active Ar + C₂H₂ + N₂ gas mixture. Raman spectroscopy has shown that carbon in these coatings is represented by a disordered mixture of regions with tetrahedral (sp ³) and hexagonal (sp ²) coordination of carbon atoms. The alloying metal in the coating formed nanosized inclusions of metal chrome, as well as of its carbide and nitride phases. It has been shown that the additional alloying of a-C: H: Cr coatings with nitrogen, which leads to the formation of chromium nitride, makes it possible to improve their mechanical and tribological characteristics.     

Tribological Properties of Nanocomposite CrC<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>/a-C:H Thin Films

Recently we showed that coatings, prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering from a metallic Cr target in an Ar/CH₄ discharge are composed of nanocrystalline CrC _x embedded in an a-C:H matrix. This work investigates the structural correlation of such nanocomposite CrC _x /a-C:H coatings to their tribological properties. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the phase composition and the chemical bonding in the films deposited at different experimental conditions. The coating microstructure was investigated on selected samples by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. For CrC _x -dominated coatings deposited at CH₄ partial to total pressure ratios (p_CH4/p_t) < 0.42, only minor changes regarding the friction coefficients and the abrasive wear rates were observed although microstructural changes towards a higher degree of crystallinity were proven by transmission electron microscopy and substantiated with XPS results. For a-C:H dominated coatings deposited at p_CH4/p_t > 0.42, the friction coefficients and abrasive wear rates were shown to decrease with increasing a-C:H phase content and its more sp²-like bonding configuration. It can be concluded that the microstructural changes in terms of CrC _x crystallite coarsening and bonding configuration of the a-C:H matrix phase are responsible for the observed changes of the friction coefficients and wear rates.     

Structural modification and tribological behavior improvement of solid lubricating WSe x coatings during pulsed laser deposition in buffer He-Gas

Thin film, solid lubricating WSe _x coatings were deposited at room temperature on a steel substrate with a titanium underlayer by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Two modes of PLD were investigated, i.e., the PLD under vacuum conditions and the PLD in a buffer gas (helium) at a pressure of 2–10 Pa. Gas was used to slow down the laser-induced atomic flux and to modify thus the conditions of the coatings growth. At a pressure ～8 Pa, gas reduced the effectiveness of Se preferential sputtering by atomic flux, which resulted in the formation of coatings with a stoichiometric composition (x ≈ 2). The structure of the coatings was characterized by a greater degree of the perfect organization of atoms in the nanophase laminar packaging and reduced internal stresses. Studies by the ball-on-disk tests in humid air showed that the modification of the structure and the chemical composition of the coatings had a significant effect on their tribological behavior. Vacuum-deposited coatings fractured relatively quickly due to the cracking and delamination from the substrate surface along the sliding track. When the coatings deposited in helium were tested, wear by layer-by-layer removal was dominant, so the adhesive fracture was only observed in the local parts of the track. The simulation of the laser vapor deposition in the vacuum and in the buffer gas was performed. Likely factors that improve the tribological properties of the coating during deposition in the buffer gas were disclosed.     

Influence of low friction coatings on the scuffing load capacity and efficiency of gears

The influence of multilayer composite surface coatings on gear scuffing load carrying capacity, gear friction coefficient and gearbox efficiency is discussed in this work.The deposition procedures of molybdenum disulphide/titanium (MoS₂/Ti) and carbon/chromium (C/Cr) composite coatings are described.Tests reported in the literature, such as Rockwell indentations, ball cratering, pin-on-disc and reciprocating wear, confirm the excellent adhesion to the substrate and the tribological performance of these coatings, suggesting they can be applied with success in heavy loaded rolling–sliding contacts, such as those found in gears.FZG gear scuffing tests were performed in order to evaluate the coatings anti-scuffing performance, which both improved very significantly in comparison to uncoated gears. These results in conjunction with the friction power intensity (FPI) scuffing criterion allowed the determination of a friction coefficient factor X_SC to include the coating influence on the friction coefficient expression.The composite coatings were also applied to the gears of a transfer gearbox and its efficiency was measured and compared at different input speeds and torques with the uncoated carburized steel gears. Significant efficiency improvement was found with the MoS₂/Ti coating.     

Effects of Deposition Conditions and Counter Bodies on the Tribological Properties of Pulsed DC Magnetron Sputtered TiN–MoS<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> Composite Coating

In the current study, TiN–MoS _x composite coatings were deposited by co-sputtering of MoS₂ and Ti targets under a mixture of Ar and N₂ gas environment using pulsed DC closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The tribological response of TiN–MoS _x composite coatings was studied against two different counter bodies: cemented carbide (WC–6% Co) ball and pin made of aluminium alloy (AlSiMg). First, the effect of substrate bias was studied on tribological properties using cemented carbide ball. Lowest coefficient of friction in the range of 0.03–0.04 was obtained for the specimen deposited at a substrate bias of −60 V. Wear coefficient was also found to be minimum for the same specimen. Coatings were further deposited at an optimum bias of −60 V in order to vary MoS _x content of TiN–MoS _x composite coating. Effect of variation of chemical composition of the coating was then studied on tribological performance of the coating against aluminium alloy counterface. Excellent anti-sticking property of MoS _x was found to have enabled the TiN–MoS _x composite coating to achieve considerably low coefficient of friction against aluminium alloy. It was shown that with optimum MoS _x content of TiN–MoS _x composite coating, it was possible to attain as low coefficient of friction as 0.09 against aluminium alloy even under normal atmospheric condition.     

Wear resistant multilayer nanocomposite WC1−x/C coating on Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy

A significant improvement of tribological properties on Ti–6Al–4V has been achieved by developed in this study multilayer treatment method for the titanium alloys. This treatment consists of an intermediate 2 μm thick TiC_xN_y layer which has been deposited by the reactive arc evaporation onto a diffusion hardened material with interstitial O or N atoms by glow discharge plasma in the atmosphere of Ar+O₂ or Ar+N₂. Subsequently, an external 0.3 μm thin nanocomposite carbon-based WC_1−x/C coating has been deposited by a reactive magnetron sputtering of graphite and tungsten targets. The morphology, microstructure, chemical and phase compositions of the substrate material after treatment and coating deposition have been investigated with use of AFM, SEM, EDX, XRD, 3D profilometry and followed by tribological investigation of wear and friction analysis. An increase of hardness in the diffusion treated near-surface zone of the Ti–6Al–4V substrate has been achieved. In addition, a good adhesion between the intermediate gradient TiC_xN_y coating and the Ti–6Al–4V substrate as well as with the external nanocomposite coating has been obtained. Significant increase in wear resistance of up to 94% when compared to uncoated Ti–6Al–4V was reported. The proposed multilayer system deposited on the Ti–6Al–4V substrate is a promising method to significantly increase wear resistance of titanium alloys.     

Performance Evaluation of a Hard Composite Solid Lubricant Coating When Dry Machining of High-carbon Steel

A novel hard composite solid lubricant coating combining TiN and MoS_x has been developed using pulsed DC closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS). The tribological and mechanical properties together with their interdependencies with the coating microstructures have been assessed and reported elsewhere. This article evaluates the machining performance and correlates the underlying tribological aspects of different TiN-MoS_x coating architectures (deposited at titanium (Ti) cathode currents of 1, 3.5, and 5 A) when dry turning AISI 1080 high-carbon steel. A comparative performance study clearly established the supremacy of the composite coating (deposited at 3.5 A Ti cathode current with ～12 wt% of MoS_x) with a hard TiN underlayer over monolayer TiN, MoS_x, and other related coating architectures in terms of cutting force, tool wear, and workpiece surface roughness. The superlubricity behavior of the said composite coated tool resulted in a reduction of cutting force (by up to ～45% compared to the uncoated tool) and exhibited a tool life of 8 min, which was eight times and more than two times longer than that of the uncoated and conventional hard TiN coated counterparts, respectively. The workpiece surface roughness, R_a, also decreased by 13 to 21% when machined with the TiN-MoS_x coated tool in comparison to the uncoated cemented carbide.     

Ultra-low friction of TiC/a-C composite coatings

Ultra-low coefficient of friction with a statistically averaged value of 0.0067 was observed during the tribological test on TiC/a-C composite coating synthesized by gas-solid interaction of Ti metal with CH₄ gas in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Ultra-low friction behavior appeared due to transformation of D-band associated with disordered carbon lattice obtained at lower synthesis temperatures (1050 and 1150 °C) to graphitic G-band mode, which steam from ordered atomic layering occurring at higher synthesis temperature of 1250 °C.     

Synergistic effects between sulfurized W-DLC coating and MoDTC lubricating additive for improvement of tribological performance

Low temperature ion sulfuration technology was used to obtain sulfurized layer on W doped diamond-like carbon (W-DLC) coating. The tribological behaviors of the pure W-DLC and sulfurized W-DLC coatings were investigated under PAO and MoDTC lubrication conditions. It shows that sulfurized W-DLC coatings can obviously improve their tribological performances under PAO with MoDTC lubrication. The primary reason is due to the formation of WS_x on the surface of sulfurized W-DLC coating, the decomposition of additives for formation a higher ratio of Mo sulfide/Mo oxide and the graphitization for a high ratio of sp²/sp³.     

Molybdenum disulphide/titanium low friction coating for gears application

Multi-layer composite surface coatings made of MoS₂/titanium, exhibit good mechanical and tribological properties in several industrial applications. Its applicability to industrial gears is discussed in this work.Several tests, like Rockwell indentations, ball cratering, pin-on-disc and reciprocating wear tests, were performed in order to evaluate the adhesion to the substrate and the tribological performance of this coating.Twin-disc tests, performed at high-contact pressure and high-slide-to-roll ratios, confirmed the good adhesive and tribological properties of the MoS₂/titanium coating and left good indications about the applicability of the MoS₂/titanium coating to gears.Scuffing gear tests were performed in the FZG machine in order to evaluate the anti-scuffing performance of this coating. Finally, the MoS₂/titanium coating was applied to the gearing in a gearbox and its influence on the gearbox efficiency was studied.     

The lubricant-coating interaction in rolling and sliding contacts

The research presented in this paper was aimed at elaboration of a new technology for heavy-loaded machine elements, lubricated with ecological oils.The tribological experiments were performed using four-ball tester (scuffing resistance), cone-three balls pitting tester (fatigue life), as well as gear test rig (resistance of lubricated gears to scuffing). The tribosystems were lubricated with various base oil and vegetable-based eco-oil.The tested components were coated with standard single coatings (TiN, CrN) and low-friction coatings (a-C:H:W, MoS₂/Ti). The results obtained confirm that low-friction a-C:H:W coating has a great potential for application in heavy-loaded machine components. Under extreme-pressure conditions this coating can take over the functions of anti-wear/extreme-pressure (AW/EP) additives and through this it is possible to minimise the application of toxic lubricating additives and achieve “ecological lubrication”.     

Low Temperature Nano-Tribological Study on a Functionally Graded Tribological Coating Using Nanoscratch Tests

Previous studies on low temperature tribological investigations were limited to macro-scale studies because of the lack of suitable instrumentation. This limitation has been overcome using a newly developed low temperature nanoscratch tester capable of characterizing the scratch resistance of coatings down to −30 °C. The scratch resistance and mechanical properties of a functionally graded a-C:H(Ti)/TiCN/TiN/Ti coating have been investigated for temperatures ranging from 25 to −30 °C. It has been found that the a-C:H(Ti)/TiCN/TiN/Ti coating failed at high loads by cracking and spallation during the room-temperature scratch tests. Fractography suggests that these failures originate from or close to the interface between the top a-C:H(Ti) and the TiCN layers. Decreasing the test temperature from 25 to 0 °C resulted in increased values in H, H/E _r and H ³ /E _r², consistent with improved crack- and wear resistances, with further smaller improvements being achieved on further decreasing the temperature to −30 °C.     

Effect of MoS2-based composite coatings on tribological behavior and efficiency of gear

MoS₂-based Ti composite coatings were deposited on the SCM420 alloy and gears using an RF magnetron sputtering (RFMS) system. While MoS₂ coating had been coated on the silicon substrate. The coatings structures were compared to each other to find the effect of Ti. The composite coatings have been tested in a ball-on-disk tribometer to investigate tribological behavior at various conditions. The scratch test was conducted to characterize adhesion force between composite coatings and substrates. The structure of the coatings has been extensively studied by a variety of techniques, including optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), etc. The composite coatings were also applied to the gears of a reduction gearbox. The efficiency of uncoated and MoS₂-based Ti coated gear was measured and compared at various input rotating speed under absorption oil film condition. It was found that the efficiency of gear had significantly improved after MoS₂-based Ti composite coatings deposition.     

Tribological properties of selected PVD coatings when slid against ductile materials

In this paper, a physical vapour deposited (PVD) deposited TiB₂ coating is compared in dry sliding with commercial PVD titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN) and titanium carbonitirde (TiCN) as to frictional properties and tendency of counter material pick-up. The aim is to investigate if the superior behaviour of the TiB₂ coating experienced in severe sliding applications against aluminium alloys can be extended to other materials with a similarly poor tribological characteristics.A new tribological test for sliding contact has been used. The test configuration involves two crossed elongated cylindrical test specimens which are forced to slide axially against each other at a constant sliding speed and a gradually increasing normal load, while recording the friction. The evaluation is performed by correlating the friction history with the width, topography and composition of the sliding tracks as detected by optical and scanning electron microscopy.Coated cemented carbide (CC) test cylinders have been slid against cylinders of a Ti alloy (Ti–6Al–4V), an Al alloy (Al 7075) and Inconel 718. It was shown that the TiB₂ surface displayed superior friction and anti-sticking properties, when tested against the aluminium alloy. Against the Ti and Inconel alloys no major difference between the coatings could be found. Instead, it is concluded that the friction coefficient is determined by the plastic properties of the counter material since a complete transfer layer instantly builds up on the coating.It proved possible to estimate the friction force from the width of the sliding tracks, the Vickers hardness of the counter material and simple plastic considerations. This estimation also verifies the unexpectedly low friction of all coatings against the Ti alloy.     

In-service behaviour of (Ti,Si,Al)Nx nanocomposite films

This paper reports on the optimization of (Ti,Si_,Al)N_x coatings to improve the performance of coated tools in dry cutting applications. The performance and the wear mechanisms of (Ti,Si_,Al)N_x tungsten carbide coated tools were investigated. Tool life and tool failure modes were thoroughly examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) complemented with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) in order to study the wear mechanisms. After 15 min at high cutting speed (200 m/min), the cutting edges of almost all the coatings still remained in good conditions. The results presented on this paper confirmed that nc-(Ti_1?xAl_x)/a-SiN_x nanocomposite coatings offer a significant potential to operate in extreme environments, since this coating outperformed one of the best solutions actually available in the market for high speed turning. An improvement on the tribological behaviour of (Ti,Si_,Al)N_x films was also observed with thermal annealing before the turning tests, due to a self hardening effect as consequence of the spinodal segregation of the (Ti,Al,Si)N metastable phase. On the other hand, no significative increase on the performance of the coated tools was observed with depositing an amorphous Al₂O₃ interlayer.     

Role of the strengthening phases in abrasive wear resistance of laser-clad NiCrBSi coatings

The influence of the strengthening phases on the tribological characteristics (wear intensity, specific work of wear, coefficient of friction) and the wear mechanisms in two-body abrasion tests with abrasives of different hardnesses (corundum Al₂O₃, ~2000 HV and silicon carbide SiC, ~3000 HV) has been investigated for PG-SR2 (Cr₂₃C₆, 1000–1150 HV), PG-10N-01 (Cr₇C₃, 1650–1800 HV; CrB, 1950–2400 HV), and 75% PG-SR2 + 25% TiC (TiC, 2500–2900 HV; (Cr,Ni)₂₃(C,B)₆ and (Ti,Cr)(C,B), ~2000 HV) coatings. The dominant role of the strengthening phases (compared with the role of the metal matrix) in the abrasive wear resistance of laser-clad NiCrBSi coatings has been estimated. Different wear mechanisms have been identified and, accordingly, different levels of coatings wear resistance have been achieved depending on the ratio between the hardness of the strengthening phases (carbides, borides, carboborides) and abrasive particles.     

Tribochemical Formation of Sulphide Tribofilms from a Ti–C–S Coating Sliding Against Different Counter Surfaces

Tribochemically active Ti–C–S coatings are nanocomposite coatings containing a S-doped titanium carbide, from which S can be released in a tribological contact. This work studies tribochemical reactions between a Ti–C–S coating and various counter surface materials, and their effect on the tribological performance. Tribological tests were performed in a ball-on-disc set-up, using balls of five different materials as sliding partners for the coating: 100Cr6 steel, pure W, WC, 316-L steel and Al₂O₃. For W balls, a WS₂ tribofilm was formed, leading to low friction (down to µ = 0.06). Furthermore, increasing normal load on the W balls was found to lead to a strong decrease in µ and earlier formation of the low-friction WS₂ tribofilm. Similar WS₂ and MoS₂ tribofilms were, however, not formed from WC- and Mo-containing 316-L balls. The performance when using WC and Al₂O₃ balls was significantly worse than for the two steel balls. It is suggested that this is due to sulphide formation from Fe, analogous to formation of anti-seizure tribofilms from S-containing extreme pressure additives and steel surfaces. The tribochemical activity of Ti–C–S coatings, with the possibility of S release, is thus beneficial not only for pure W counter surfaces, but also for Fe-based sliding partners.     

Tribological and mechanical properties of carbon nitride thin coating prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Carbon nitride thin films may become good competitors for diamond-like carbon, due to their high hardness, high wear resistance, and low friction coefficient. At present, there are only a few studies of the effect of CN _x coating hardness and internal stress on its tribological properties, such as coating life and frictional behaviour. This work deals with tribological and mechanical properties of a carbon nitride coating prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD). Friction coefficients in the range of 0.10–0.12 were observed for the best CN _x coatings sliding against silicon nitride under ambient conditions. A nonlinear correlation between coating life and its internal stress and hardness was found.     

Structure characterization of pulsed laser deposited MoS x –WSe y composite films of tribological interests

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was employed to grow MoS _x –WSe _y composite films, where x = 1.18, y = 0.78. Scanning electron micrographs show that the films have a dense granular morphology. Crystallization, d-spacing and hexagonal sheet curvature within the film were studied with X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. A predominant hexagonal MoS _x phase was formed but contained W and Se, which were most likely present as substituents for Mo and S. There was no evidence for two separate crystalline phases. MoS _x –WSe _y composite films exhibited a larger expansion along the c-axis (d-spacing between basal planes) than PLD MoS₂ and WSe₂ films grown by laser ablation of pure targets. The lattice spacing along the a-axis was expanded in comparison to the MoS₂ film, and compressed in comparison to the WSe₂ film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed a significant sulfur deficiency, and verified both of S and Se bonding in the film. High-resolution electron microscope images exhibited significant curvatures of the (002) basal planes in the films. The bending behavior of basal planes was explained by S vacancies and Se substitution on the atomic site of S layers. The tribological properties of the composite films were measured in dry and wet conditions using a ball-on-disc tribometer. The reduced friction was correlated with the increased crystallinity and increased separation of basal planes in the composite films.