Tribologische Beschichtungen

Tribological Coatings Friction and wear limit the life of tribological systems and lead to damage valued in billion. In many cases tribologically stressed components or tools can only be economically operated with the use of lubricants. Tribologically effective films can replace lubricants or reduce the extent of their use. There are many ways to realise coatings with low friction but only carbon based coatings like DLC (diamond‐like carbon) and polycristalline diamond films combine low friction with a high wear resitant.     

Recent Advances in Disordered and Nanostructured Carbon Coatings for Superl Ubricity and Wearless Sliding

Increasingly more demanding and very stringent operating conditions envisioned for future mechanical and tribological systems will certainly require new materials and coatings that are superhard and at the same time self-lubricating.For example, dry machining is a much desired practice in manufacturing sector, but it is currently very difficult to realize mainly because of high friction and severe wear losses. However, recent advances in surface engineering and coating technologies may enable design and production of novel coatings architectures that can combine superhardness with self-lubricating properties in both the disordered or nanostructured forms. Recently developed nearly frictionless carbon films, ultrananocrystalline diamond and carbide derived carbon films can dramatically lower friction and at the same time reduce wear under very harsh sliding conditions. These coatings can be formulated in such a way that they can substantially increase the load-bearing capacity of sliding surfaces and hence improve their resistance to scuffing. It is also possible to design nano-composite coatings that can form self-replenishing and-lubricating tribofilms on their sliding surfaces and thus help increase the overall lubricity of these surfaces. In this paper, an overview of recent advances in disordered and nanostructured carbon films will be presented. Specific examples will be given to demonstrate the superior performance and durability of such novel coatings under a very wide range of tribological conditions. The major emphasis is placed on super low friction carbon films. The fundamental tribological mechanisms that control their exceptional friction and wear behaviors are also discussed.     

Relationships between the fretting wear behavior and mechanical properties of thin carbon films

Mechanical load can drastically affect the properties of orthopedic implant materials. Damage of these materials usually occurs in contact surfaces, caused by abrasion, adhesion, fretting, delamination, pitting and fatigue depending on friction, lubrication, contact area, surface finish and level of loads (stresses).Carbon-based films are biocompatible with good bearing capacity, wear resistance, corrosion resistance and have a low coefficient of friction. However, great intrinsic stress prevents their wider application, mainly as implant coatings. To reduce this undesirable effect special deposition procedures are under development and/or the films are doped with suitable elements. It must be emphasized that DLC is not a material but a group of materials with a variety of properties. The relationships between the fretting wear behavior and mechanical properties of films based on carbon deposited by DC using the pulsed arc discharge PVD nitrogen doped (a-C) and the filtered pulsed arc discharge deposition system (ta-C) were tested.The composition of carbon films (sp³, sp²) was determined by Raman spectroscopy. Mechanical properties of elastic modulus and hardness were determined by a NanoTest apparatus with diamond Berkovich tip using the Oliver-Pharr procedure and adhesion was measured by nanoscratch tests. Tribological behavior was analyzed by fretting tests with a corundum ball under dry sliding lubricated conditions.The good performance of the hard carbon coatings is often discussed. Results from this study of fretting and the associated lubrication (bovine serum) show that ta-C coatings, despite their high hardness, have very low friction coefficients and low volume losses.     

Flächeneinfluss bei der PACVD‐Beschichtung

Impact of the active surface on properties of DLC films in the PACVD coating chamber. In the automotive industry, economic and stable industrial processes to apply hard coatings for tribological applications are required. Hence detailed knowledge about the influence of coating parameters on the film characteristics is essential. the following paper deals with the process of plasma activated chemical vapor deposition with focus on the effect of the parameter “active area in the coating chamber“ on the properties of diamond‐like‐carbons (DLC). the coatings are deposited in an industrial coating chamber using reactive magnetron sputtering with a pulsed bias voltage (40 kHz) and at constant pressure. During the investigation of the influence of active area and current density on the mechanical and tribological properties of the DLC films, the expected correlation between active area and current density could be confirmed. By regulating the current density, consistent film properties could be achieved, independently of the active area in the chamber. Furthermore improved wear characteristics of the film – crucial for the endurance of heavily loaded automotive components – were achieved by adapting the load pattern of the chamber.     

Study on hybrid nano-diamond films formed by plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD)

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films made by plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have many useful properties for tribological characteristics. Especially, friction coefficient is very low. However, the films have weak points i.e., very low heatproof temperature of less than 300 °C and low hardness insufficient for industrial applications like machine tools. On the other hand, it is well known that diamond films made by plasma CVD have excellent hardness. But, they also have inferior properties for industrial applications, such as higher surface roughness and lower critical load than DLC films. In this study, we developed hybrid nano-diamond (HND) films that are formed by alternately depositing DLC films and diamond films in a same chamber. The HND films have sufficiently high hardness as well as excellent tribological characteristics due to the multi-layer structure of DLC and diamond. The process of forming HND films are discussed.     

Analysis of plastic deformation in diamond like carbon films-steel substrate system with tribological tests

The influence of plastic deformation of the substrate on the tribological properties of diamond like carbon (DLC) films was investigated in DLC films-steel substrate system. The tribological properties of DLC films deposited on different hardness steel were evaluated by a ball on disk rotating-type friction tester at room temperature under different environments. In dry nitrogen, DLC films on soft steel exhibited excellent tribological properties, especially obvious under high load (such as 20 N and 50 N). However, DLC films on hard steel were worn out quickly at load of 20 N. Plastic deformation was observed on soft steel after tribological tests. The width and depth of plastic deformation track increased with increase of the experimental load. Super low friction and no measurable wear were kept in good condition even large plastic deformation under high load conditions in DLC films-soft steel system. In open air, DLC films on soft steel exhibited high coefficient of friction and DLC films on ball were worn out quickly. Plastic deformation was not observed on soft steel because the contact area increased and the thick hardened layer on contact surface were formed by DLC films and debris particles together on the steel substrate. The wear track on steel became deep and wide with increase of loads and DLC films were worn out. The experimental results showed that super low friction and high wear resistance of DLC films on soft steel can be attributed to the good adhesion and plastic deformation. Plastic deformation played an active role in the tribological properties of DLC films on soft steel in the present work.     

Tribological study of lubricious DLC biocompatible coatings

DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings have remarkable tribological properties due mainly to their good frictional behavior. These coatings can be applied in many industrial and biomedical applications, where sliding can generate wear and frictional forces on the components, such as orthopaedic metal implants. This work reports on the development and tribological characterization of functionally gradient titanium alloyed DLC coatings. A PVD-magnetron sputtering technique has been used as the deposition method. The aim of this work was to study the tribological performance of the DLC coating when metal to metal contact (cobalt chromium or titanium alloys) takes place under dry and lubricated test conditions. Prior work by the authors demonstrates that the DLC coating reduced considerably the wear of the ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The DLC coating during mechanical testing exhibited a high elastic recovery (65%) compared to the values obtained from Co–Cr–Mo (15%) and Ti–6Al–4V (23%). The coating exhibited an excellent tribo-performance against the Ti–6Al–4V and Co–Cr–Mo alloys, especially under dry conditions presenting a friction value of 0.12 and almost negligible wear. This coating has passed biocompatibility tests for implant devices on tissue/bone contact according to international standards (ISO 10993).     

Verschleissfeste Antihaftschichten auf Basis modifizierter diamantähnlicher Kohlenstoffschichten

In this article technological developments in the field of modified diamond‐like‐carbon (DLC) coatings are described. The most well‐known properties of such DLC‐coatings are high hardness, high wear resistance, a very low friction coefficient (e.g. vs. Steel) and a very good chemical inertness. By doping the amorphous network with non‐metallic elements it is possible to influence the wettability of the DLC coatings over a wide range. This possibility to prepare a wear resistant sticking or non‐sticking DLC‐film opens a wide field of very different technical applications.     

Structure, mechanical and tribological properties of diamond-like carbon films on aluminum alloy by arc ion plating

The low hardness and poor tribological performance of aluminum alloys restrict their engineering applications. However, protective hard films deposited on aluminum alloys are believed to be effective for overcoming their poor wear properties. In this paper, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films as hard protective film were deposited on 2024 aluminum alloy by arc ion plating. The dependence of the chemical state and microstructure of the films on substrate bias voltage was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanical and tribological properties of the DLC films deposited on aluminum alloy were investigated by nanoindentation and ball-on-disk tribotester, respectively. The results show that the deposited DLC films were very well-adhered to the aluminum alloy substrate, with no cracks or delamination being observed. A maximum sp³ content of about 37% was obtained at −100 V substrate bias, resulting in a hardness of 30 GPa and elastic modulus of 280 GPa. Thus, the surface hardness and wear resistance of 2024 aluminum alloy can be significantly improved by applying a protective DLC film coating. The DLC-coated aluminum alloy showed a stable and relatively low friction coefficient, as well as narrower and shallower wear tracks in comparison with the uncoated aluminum alloy.     

Effects of surface coating on reducing friction and wear of orthopaedic implants

Coatings such as diamond-like carbon (DLC) and titanium nitride (TiN) are employed in joint implants due to their excellent tribological properties. Recently, graphite-like carbon (GLC) and tantalum (Ta) have been proven to have good potential as coating as they possess mechanical properties similar to bones—high hardness and high flexibility. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to summarize the coating techniques of these four materials in order to compare their mechanical properties and tribological outcomes. Eighteen studies published between January 2000 and February 2013 have met the inclusion criteria for this review. Details of their fabrication parameters, material and mechanical properties along with the tribological outcomes, such as friction and wear rate, were identified and are presented in a systematic way. Although experiment conditions varied, we conclude that Ta has the lowest wear rate compared to DLC, GLC and TiN because it has a lower wear rate with high contact pressure as well as higher hardness to elasticity ratio. However, a further tribology test is needed in an environment which replicates artificial joints to confirm the acceptability of these findings.     

Effects of molybdenum dithiocarbamate and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate additives on tribological behaviors of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon coatings

The tribological behaviors of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings under varied load conditions lubricated with polyalpha olefin (PAO), molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) additives were investigated in this paper. Hydrogenated DLC coatings were synthesized through the decomposition of acetylene by the ion source. The tribological performances were measured on a SRV tribometer. The morphologies and chemical structures of the DLC coatings were investigated by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectrometer (Raman) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). It was shown that the low friction and high wear were achieved on the hydrogenated DLC coating under MoDTC lubrication, while low wear was found on the hydrogenated DLC coating lubricated by ZDDP. The primary reason was attributed to different tribofilms formed on the contact area and the formation of graphitic layer. Both factors working together leaded to quite different tribological behaviors.     

High temperature tribological behaviour of carbon based (B4C and DLC) coatings in sliding contact with aluminum

Carbon based coatings, particularly diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are known to resist aluminum adhesion and reduce friction at room temperature. This attractive tribological behaviour is useful for applications such as tool coatings used for aluminum forming and machining. However, for those operations that are performed at elevated temperatures (e.g. hot forming) or that generate frictional heat during contact (e.g. dry machining) the suitable coatings are required to maintain their tribological properties at high temperatures. Candidates for these demanding applications include boron carbide (B₄C) and DLC coatings. An understanding of the mechanisms of friction, wear and adhesion of carbon based coatings against aluminum alloys at high temperatures will help in designing coatings with improved high temperature tribological properties. With this goal in mind, this study focused on B₄C and a hydrogenated DLC coatings sliding against a 319 grade cast aluminum alloy by performing pin-on-disk experiments at temperatures up to 400 °C. Experimental results have shown that the 319 Al/B₄C tribosystem generated coefficient of friction (COF) values ranging between 0.42 and 0.65, in this temperature range. However, increased amounts of aluminum adhesion were detected in the B₄C wear tracks at elevated temperatures. Focused ion beam (FIB) milled cross sections of the wear tracks revealed that the coating failed due to shearing along the columnar grain boundaries of the coating. The 319 Al/DLC tribosystem maintained a low COF (0.15-0.06) from room temperature up to 200 °C. This was followed by an abrupt increase to 0.6 at 400 °C. The deterioration of friction behaviour at T > 200 °C was attributed to the exhaustion of hydrogen and hydroxyl passivants on the carbon transfer layer formed on the Al pin.     

Metal-doped (Ti, WC) diamond-like-carbon coatings: Reactions with extreme-pressure oil additives under tribological and static conditions

In contrast to non-doped diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coatings, reliable chemical evidence of the reactions between metal-doped DLC coatings and oil additives under tribological conditions using state-of-the-art surface-sensitive chemical analyses is still scarce. In this study we have investigated the reactivity of metal-doped (Ti, WC) DLC coatings with the extreme-pressure (EP) dialkyl dithiophosphate additive — without the presence of a steel counter body in the contact that befogs the actual coating reactions. Static “reactivity” experiments without any tribological or mechanical effects were also performed to provide a further insight into the lubrication mechanisms. The results confirmed the chemical reactions between the EP additive and all the DLC coatings, as well as their oxidation during the tribological contacts. We measured an about 10-times higher chemical activity (a 25-fold P/S ratio increase) for the Ti-doped DLC compared to the WC-doped or non-doped DLC, which also agrees with it having the lowest amount of wear in this study. We suggest that the Ti-DLC boundary lubrication is achieved via binding sites at the O vacancies present in the Ti-doped DLC coating. The data also clearly show, in contrast to most of literature reports, that even though small, some direct chemical activity between the W-DLC and the dialkyl dithiophosphate EP additive is also possible without any iron catalytic effect. However, the chemical changes were significantly smaller, also allowing coating graphitization, which might be one of the reasons for the 50% higher wear of the WC-doped compared to the Ti-doped DLC.     

A tribological study of tetrahedral amorphous carbon films prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique

In this study, a series of tetrahedral amorphous carbon films (ta-C) were deposited on silicon, W18Cr4 V high-speed and Cr18Ni9 stainless steel substrates respectively by using pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc system with a MEVVA source, and ta-C film’s tribological properties, including the structure, mechanical performance, adhesion, friction and wear character, were investigated. The results show: the hardness and elastic modulus of ta-C film on a high-speed substrate were reached to 76 and 453 Gpa, respectively; and the effects of substrate and film thickness on ta-C film’s friction coefficients have been studied as well; moreover, the corresponding adhesion damage mechanism and wear damage mechanism have been investigated, respectively.     

离子辅助轰击能量对类金刚石薄膜性能的影响

研究了利用ＩＢＡＤ方法沉积类金刚石薄膜时,离子的辅助轰击能量对薄的微观结构、表面粗糙度,弹性、硬度以及摩擦系数的影响,获得了机械和摩擦性能优异的类金刚石薄膜。讨论了薄膜微观结构和性能之间的关系。分析了不同硬度测试方法的差异。     

Mechanical properties of diamond thin films

Abstract

The mechanical properties of diamond films deposited via hot filament chemical vapour deposition have been determined using a range of techniques, and related to the composition and morphology of the diamond films as determined by laser Raman spectroscopy. As the quality of the film increases, its hardness (as determined by the volume law of mixtures hardness model) also increases until it is larger than values often reported for polycrystalline bulk material, a consequence of the very small grain size in the films. Coating adhesion, as determined from indentation adhesion tests, also appears to improve with coating quality. Variations in the behaviour of the friction coefficient between diamond films and diamond and steel counterfaces are less well defined, but it appears that the surface morphology of the film is important in dictating the behaviour rather than the quality of the diamond. These results are discussed in the context of the potential use of diamond coatings in tribological applications.

MST/1695     

Hierarchical adaptive nanostructured PVD coatings for extreme tribological applications: the quest for nonequilibrium states and emergent behavior

Adaptive wear-resistant coatings produced by physical vapor deposition (PVD) are a relatively new generation of coatings which are attracting attention in the development of nanostructured materials for extreme tribological applications. An excellent example of such extreme operating conditions is high performance machining of hard-to-cut materials. The adaptive characteristics of such coatings develop fully during interaction with the severe environment. Modern adaptive coatings could be regarded as hierarchical surface-engineered nanostructural materials. They exhibit dynamic hierarchy on two major structural scales: (a) nanoscale surface layers of protective tribofilms generated during friction and (b) an underlying nano/microscaled layer. The tribofilms are responsible for some critical nanoscale effects that strongly impact the wear resistance of adaptive coatings. A new direction in nanomaterial research is discussed: compositional and microstructural optimization of the dynamically regenerating nanoscaled tribofilms on the surface of the adaptive coatings during friction. In this review we demonstrate the correlation between the microstructure, physical, chemical and micromechanical properties of hard coatings in their dynamic interaction (adaptation) with environment and the involvement of complex natural processes associated with self-organization during friction. Major physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics of the adaptive coating, which play a significant role in its operating properties, such as enhanced mass transfer, and the ability of the layer to provide dissipation and accumulation of frictional energy during operation are presented as well. Strategies for adaptive nanostructural coating design that enhance beneficial natural processes are outlined. The coatings exhibit emergent behavior during operation when their improved features work as a whole. In this way, as higher-ordered systems, they achieve multifunctionality and high wear resistance under extreme tribological conditions.     

Maßgeschneiderte Tribologie durch Laseroberflächenbehandlung

Tailored tribology by laser surface treatment There are quite different requirements for tribological properties of surfaces in industry. Both reduction and maximization of friction and/or wear are possible requirements. The friction and wear properties depend on the tribological system consisting of the friction partners, the medium between them and the environment around them. So for each application tailored surfaces with special tribological properties are needed. In the paper examples are presented which deal with the investigation and the implementation of laser based processes to obtain surfaces with very different tribological properties. Wavelengths, output power values, intensity distributions and beam qualities of the available lasers vary in a wide range. Also the available devices for beam formation and beam guidance enable special processes for tailoring properties for particular applications. These processes are for example the single‐layered or multi‐layered laser cladding generating homogeneous or graded claddings, the laser alloying or laser dispersing and the laser stimulated deposition of diamond layers at atmospheric pressure.     

Tribological and thermal stability study of nanoporous amorphous boron carbide films prepared by pulsed plasma chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

In this work, the thermal stability and the oxidation and tribological behavior of nanoporous a-BC:H films are studied and compared with those in conventional diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. a-BC:H films were deposited by pulsed plasma chemical vapor deposition using B(CH₃)₃ gas as the boron source. A DLC interlayer was used to prevent the a-BC:H film delamination produced by oxidation. Thermal stability of a-BC:H films, with no delamination signs after annealing at 500 °C for 1 h, is better than that of the DLC films, which completely disappeared under the same conditions. Tribological test results indicate that the a-BC:H films, even with lower nanoindentation hardness than the DLC films, show an excellent boundary oil lubricated behavior, with lower friction coefficient and reduce the wear rate of counter materials than those on the DLC film. The good materials properties such as low modulus of elasticity and the formation of micropores from the original nanopores during boundary regimes explain this better performance. Results show that porous a-BC:H films may be an alternative for segmented DLC films in applications where severe tribological conditions and complex shapes exist, so surface patterning is unfeasible.     

Microstructure and property evolution of Cr-DLC films with different Cr content deposited by a hybrid beam technique

Cr-containing diamond-like carbon (Cr-DLC) films was deposited on silicon wafers by a hybrid beams system, which consists of a DC magnetron sputtering and a linear ion source. The chromium content in the films was adjusted by varying the fraction of Ar in the Ar and CH₄ gas mixture. The composition, microstructure, surface morphology, mechanical properties and tribological behavior of the films were investigated by XPS, TEM, AFM, SEM, nano-indentation and tribological tester as a function of Cr content. It is shown that, as the Cr content increased from 1.49 to 40.11 at.%, the Cr-DLC films transfer from amorphous DLC with dispersed metallic-like Cr to composite DLC with carbide phases embedding in the DLC matrix, and the film surface morphology also evolve from flat surface into rough surface with larger hillocks. The amorphous Cr-DLC films exhibit a low friction coefficient and wear rate as pure DLC, while the composite Cr-DLC films show a higher friction coefficient and wear rate, although they possess a relatively high hardness.