Dry friction and wear characteristics of nickel/carbon nanotube electroless composite deposits

Ni/carbon nanotube (Ni/CNTs) composite coatings were deposited on carbon steel plate by electroless deposition. The friction and wear properties were examined under dry sliding conditions using the ball-on-disk configuration. For reference, carbon steel plate was coated with Ni, Ni/SiC and Ni/graphite. The results show that the Ni/CNT coating has a microhardness value of 865 Hv, greater than for SiC reinforced composite deposits. The Ni/CNTs composite coating possesses not only a higher wear resistance but also a lower friction coefficient, resulting from their improved mechanical characteristics and the unique topological structure of the hollow nanotubes.     

Investigation of antiwear coatings deposited by the pvd process

The tribological properties of various PVD‐deposited coatings (vacuum arc method) have been tested, both single‐layer coatings (TiN, CrN, Ti(C,N), and Cr(C,N)) and multilayer coatings (Cr(C,N)/CrN/Cr and CR(C,N)/(CrN+Cr₂N)/CrN/Cr). An unlubricated ball‐on‐disc tribosystem was used in which an Al₂O₃ ball is pressed against a coated steel disc rotating in the horizontal plane. A novelty of the method is the removal of wear debris from the contact zone using a draught of dry argon. This improves the repeatability of the test results and the stability of the tribological characteristics. It is shown that CrN coatings exhibit the best antiwear properties and Ti(C,N) the worst. Multilayer coatings have better antiwear properties than single‐layer ones. The friction coefficients for CrN and Cr(C,N) coatings are much smaller than for the commonly used TiN. A correlation has also been found between the physical properties of the coatings tested (adhesion of the coating to the substrate assessed in scratch tests, and coating hardness) and their antiwear properties. An improvement in coating‐substrate adhesion results in wear reduction, while greater hardness (causing a coating embrittlement increase and a change in the wear mechanism) brings about greater wear. There is no correlation between the physical properties and the friction coefficients of the coatings tested.     

Tribological behavior of thin electroplated and chemically deposited Ni-P coatings on copper substrates

The paper deals with the study of the tribological behavior of thin (1 and 5 μm thick) Ni-P coatings formed on plates made of electrotechnical copper by electroplating and chemical deposition. It has been found that after heat treatment, owing to diffusion processes, the coating components are capable of penetrating into the substrate material—to a depth of 15 μm for electroplated coatings and of 35 μm for chemically deposited coatings)—and influencing the mechanical properties of a specimen such as the hardness and friction coefficient. A correlation between the wear mode of the coating and the method of its deposition has been found. The results show that thin (one μm thick and lesser) Ni-P chemically deposited coatings are promising for being used in friction units of precise mechanical devices.     

Heat Treated NiP–SiC Composite Coatings: Elaboration and Tribocorrosion Behaviour in NaCl Solution

Tribocorrosion behaviour of heat-treated NiP and NiP–SiC composite coatings was investigated in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The tribocorrosion tests were performed in a linear sliding tribometer with an electrochemical cell interface. It was analyzed the influence of SiC particles dispersion in the NiP matrix on current density developed, on coefficient of friction and on wear volume loss. The results showed that NiP–SiC composite coatings had a lower wear volume loss compared to NiP coatings. However, the incorporation of SiC particles into the metallic matrix affects the current density developed by the system during the tribocorrosion test. It was verified that not only the volume of co-deposited particles (SiC vol.%) but also the number of SiC particles per coating area unit (and consequently the SiC particles size) have made influence on the tribocorrosion behaviour of NiP–SiC composite coatings.     

Preparation of Nickel-Cobalt/Carborundum Carbide Composite Coatings by Supergravity Field-Enhanced Electrodeposition

Nickel-cobalt/silicon carbide(Ni-Co/SiC) composite coatings were fabricated by supergravity field-enhanced electrodeposition. The surface morphology and the distribution of the SiC particles in the coatings were examined by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The preferred orientations of the coatings were measured by X-ray di ractometry. The wear resistance and microhardness were measured by a reciprocating tribometer and a microhardness instrument, respectively. The results revealed that the use of the supergravity field enhanced the smoothness of the as-deposited Ni-Co/SiC coatings, and the SiC nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in comparison with that for conventional electrodeposition. When the rotation speed of the cathode, which provided the supergravity field, was 800 r/min, the SiC content in the coating reached a maximum of 8.1 wt%, which was a much higher content than the 2.2 wt% value obtained under conventional electrodeposition. The highest coating microhardness of 680 HV was also observed at this rotation speed. In addition, the wear resistance of the as-prepared Ni-Co/SiC coatings exhibited improved performance relative to that prepared under normal gravity. A minimum wear weight loss of 1.4 mg together with an average friction coe cient of 0.13 were also realized at a rotation speed of 800 r/min, values which were much lower than those for normal gravity.     

On dry sliding friction and wear behaviour of PEEK and PEEK/SiC-composite coatings

In this work, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and PEEK/SiC-composite coatings were deposited on Al substrates using a printing technique to improve their surfaces performance. The objective of this work was to investigate coatings friction and wear behaviour. Especially, the effect of sliding velocity and applied load on coatings friction coefficient and wear rate was evaluated in range of 0.2-1.4 m/s and 1-9 N, respectively. Compared to Al substrate, the coated samples exhibit excellent friction coefficient and wear rate. For PEEK coating, under an applied load of 1 N, the increase in sliding velocity can result in decreasing of friction coefficient at a cost of wear resistance. Under a load of 9 N, however, PEEK coating exhibits the highest friction coefficient and wear rate at an intermediate velocity. These influences appear to be mainly ascribed to the influence of contact temperature of the two relative sliding parts. In most test conditions, the composite coating exhibits better wear resistance and a little higher friction coefficient. SiC reinforcement in composite coating plays a combined role. First of all, it might lead to energy dissipation for activation of fracture occurred on the interface of PEEK and the powders. Moreover, it can reduce coating ploughs and the adhesion between the two relative sliding parts.     

Micro-scale abrasive wear testing of duplex and non-duplex (single-layered) PVD (Ti,Al)N, TiN and Cr–N coatings

A micro-scale abrasive wear test, based on ball-cratering, has been used to evaluate the wear resistance of duplex and non-duplex (Ti,Al)N, TiN and Cr–N coatings. The term duplex is used here when plasma nitriding is followed by PVD coating. Coatings without the plasma nitriding stage are termed single-layered. Coating properties were evaluated by surface profilometry, hardness and scratch testing. All duplex coatings showed higher micro-abrasive wear resistance than their single-layered counterparts, with the duplex (Ti,Al)N coating achieving the best performance. After a certain number of ball revolutions, the coating material became worn through, exposing the substrate material. After this point, the presence of a hard nitrided case diminished the scratching action of the SiC abrasive particles. The experimental results also indicate that the choice of the PVD coating plays an important role in improving the micro-abrasive wear resistance. Apart from single-layered and duplex Cr–N coatings, all the other coating systems provided a higher micro-abrasive wear resistance than the uncoated substrate (hardened AISI H13 steel). The poor abrasive wear resistance recorded for the single-layered and duplex Cr–N coatings could be attributed to the hardness of the Cr–N being much lower than that of the SiC abrasive particles, which caused tearing of the coating with subsequent delamination. The wear pattern observed was found to change from surfaces characterised by grooves (uncoated substrate, single-layered TiN and Cr–N systems and duplex Cr–N system) to surfaces which exhibited multiply indented surfaces (single-layered and duplex (Ti,Al)N systems), indicating a transition between wear mechanisms. This transition was found to be dependent on the ratio between the hardness of the SiC abrasive particles and surface (coating) or subsurface hardness. By decreasing this ratio, the ability of the SiC abrasive particles to scratch the composite surface was reduced and the resistance to micro-scale abrasion was improved.     

Friction and wear properties of CN<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>/SiC in water lubrication

Amorphous carbon nitride coatings (a-CN_x) were deposited on SiC disk by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The tribological behavior of a-CN_x coating sliding against SiC ball in water was investigated and compared with that of SiC/SiC system at room temperature. The influences of testing conditions on friction coefficient and specific wear rate of both kinds of tribopairs were studied. The worn surfaces on disks were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that the running-in period of a-CN_x/SiC was shorter than that of SiC/SiC system in water. At a sliding velocity of 120 mm/s, the mean steady-state friction coefficients of SiC/SiC (0.096) was higher than that of a-CN_x/SiC (0.05), while at 160 mm/s, lower friction coefficient (0.01) was obtained for SiC/SiC in water. With an increment of normal load, the mean steady-state friction coefficients after running-in first decreased, reaching a minimum value, and then increased. For self-mated SiC, the specific wear rate of SiC ball was a little higher than that of SiC disk, while for a-CN_x/SiC, the specific wear rate of SiC ball were 10 times smaller than that of a-CN_x coating. Furthermore, the specific wear rate of SiC ball sliding against a-CN_x coating was reduced by a factor up to 100~1000 in comparison to that against SiC in water. The wear mechanism of SiC/SiC system in water is related to micro-fracture of ceramic and instability of tribochemical reaction layer. Conversely, wear mechanism for a-CN_x/SiC is related to formation and transfer of easy-shear friction layer.     

Tribological characterisation of hard coatings with and without DLC top layer in fretting tests

The potential of coatings to protect components against wear and to reduce friction has led to a large variety of protective coatings. In order to check the success of coating modifications and to find solutions for different purposes, initial tests with laboratory tribometers are usually done to give information about the performance of a coating. Different Ti‐based coatings (TiN, Ti(C,N), and TiAlN) and NiP were tested in comparison to coatings with an additional diamond‐like carbon (DLC) top coating. Tests were done in laboratory air at room temperature with oscillating sliding (gross slip fretting) with a ball‐on‐disc arrangement against a ceramic ball (Al₂O₃). Special attention was paid to possible effects of moisture (relative humidity). The coefficient of friction was measured on line, and the volumetric wear at the disc was determined after the test from microscopic measurements of the wear scar and additional profiles. The friction and wear behaviour is quite different for the different coatings and depends more or less on the relative humidity. The DLC coating on top of the other coatings reduces friction and wear considerably. In normal and in moist air the coefficient of wear of the DLC top‐layer coating is significantly less than 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm and the coefficient of friction is below 0.1. In dry air, however, there is a certain tendency to high wear and high friction. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tribological studies of automotive piston ring by diamond-like carbon coating

Increasing environmental awareness and demanding low energy consumption are of the top priorities for future vehicles manufacturing companies. This can be achieved by reducing wear and friction of engine components, so that its efficiency and lifetime can be increased. Surface treatments and coatings contribute to a better lubrication with oils and can participate significantly in achieving these goals. In this paper, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating has been incorporated to the vehicle piston rings with different RF powers using magnetron sputtering method. The tribological properties like wear and coefficient of friction have been analysed using Pin-on-Disk tribometer. Micro-hardness and nano-hardness of the coated piston rings were characterized by micro-indentor and nano-indentation processes. Surface microstructure and elemental compositions were observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Experimental results demonstrated that the DLC coating shows lower wear and friction under similar operating conditions as compared to uncoated piston rings. Thus, usage of DLC coating has enhanced the engine life time. Silicon interlayer has also been applied between nitrided piston rings and DLC layer in order to have better coating adhesion. The properties of the interlayer are not studied but usage of it is found to protect DLC coating from delamination.     

Effect of temperature on the wear of an electroless nickel coating under lubricated reciprocating sliding conditions

The effect of temperature on the wear of as-deposited electroless Ni-P coating under lubricated reciprocating sliding conditions has been investigated using the ball-on-block test method. It was shown that the temperature increase from 25 to 100°C reduces the lubricated wear of EN coatings, especially at high loads. The wear mechanism has also changed as the temperature rises from 25 to 100°C. X-ray mapping and EDS analyses have shown that there are more sulfur and phosphorus on the wear track at high temperature which may be responsible for reduced friction and the wear of the coating.Yugang Liu is a graduate student and K.N. Tandon is an Associate Professor at Metallurgical Science Laboratory, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Manitoba.     

The effect of SiC additives on fretting wear of electroplated NiP coatings

The present work studies the effect of reinforcing additives of submicron-size silicon carbide and thermal treatment on fretting wear of nickel-phosphorus (NiP) electroplated coatings. The tests are conducted under a 500-μm shear of the friction contact. The tribotests show that all coatings under study undergo abrasive-oxidative wear. Thermal treatment is found to reduce the friction coefficient and wear rate of the coatings under fretting, whereas the increased content of the SiC additive leads to increased friction coefficient and wear rate. The annealed NiP coatings have a lower wear rate compared to the composite NiP-SiC coatings.     

Low Friction Carbide-Derived Carbon Coating on SiC in Vacuum Achieved by Microstructure Formulation and Solid–Liquid Lubrication

Carbide-derived carbon (CDC) coatings with dimple (CDC@GSiC coating) and loosely dispersive particles structures (CDC@RBSiC coating) were prepared on two kinds of SiC substrates by using chlorination at 1,000 °C in a 5 vol.% Cl₂–Ar gas. Microstructural effect makes the two CDC coatings exhibit different frictional behavior in ambient pressure and in vacuum. For the CDC@RBSiC coating, the friction coefficient was from 0.08 to 0.12 at ambient pressure and is sensitive to evacuation from ambient pressure to 10³ Pa while it was as high as 0.42 up to a pressure of 10^?4 Pa. Progressive evacuation does not vary the friction coefficient of the CDC@GSiC coating up to 10^?3 Pa. The wear of the CDC@GSiC coating was low with a maximum depth of 8 μm and much lower than that of the CDC@RBSiC coating (70 μm). The dimples on the surface and pores in the CDC@GSiC coating are reservoirs for ion liquid (IL), and the IL impregnated CDC@GSiC coating shows very low friction and wear at ambient pressure and in vacuum.     

A representative ex-situ fretting wear investigation of orthodontic arch-wire/bracket contacts

Recent studies show that resistance to friction and wear between the arch-wire and the bracket are of great importance for the quality of orthodontal treatment. To optimize these phenomena specific surface treatments have been developed, but a major difficulty is the methodology for comparing and improving the given palliatives. A specific ex-situ fretting test has been developed which permits the micro-slidings generated by the occlusion movements to be superimposed on macro-slidings generated by the teeth displacement.In this study the friction force between brackets and arch-wires during combined macro-/micro-slidings has been investigated. Various stainless steel bracket/arch-wire contacts have been analyzed. The wear and friction properties of different PEPVD deposited coatings such as SiC and SiN have been studied under dry and wet artificial saliva conditions.     

Study of the Performance of Copper Coatings Formed by Electroplating and Deformation Cladding with a Flexible Tool

The results of comparative tests of copper coatings formed by electroplating and deformation cladding with a flexible tool (DGFT) under ultimate loads that cause breakage and burrs have been presented. The number of cycles of lateral bending that cause the copper coating to peel and the sample to break, as well as coefficient of sliding friction and the wear of samples during the friction of a lubricant-free spherical indenter on the flat surface of the copper-plated steel disks with substrate hardnesses of 20, 50, and 70 HRC, have been accepted as the performance standards. During the peeling test under bending, it has been found that cladded coatings were not peeled off from the basic material, even in the case when experimental samples were broken, and the peeling of coating in the samples with galvanic coatings has been observed on half of the first bending cycle. Based on the results of the tribotechnical tests, it has been found that copper coatings formed using the above technologies contribute mainly to a reduction in the coefficient of sliding friction on friction surfaces compared to samples without coatings. However, under loads that cause burrs, galvanic coatings have smaller values of the coefficient of sliding friction compared to cladded coatings.     

不同石墨烯添加量下MoS2基复合涂层的摩擦磨损及耐腐蚀性能

为改善MoS2基固体润滑涂层的摩擦磨损性能和耐蚀性能,制备了不同石墨烯（GE）添加量的MoS2复合涂层,利用HSR-2M摩擦磨损试验机测试了复合涂层的摩擦磨损性能,并分析了其磨损机理,通过极化曲线、交流阻抗谱（EIS）研究了涂层在3.5%NaCl溶液中的电化学腐蚀行为。试验结果表明,0.8-GE/MoS2复合涂层的摩擦磨损和耐腐蚀性能最优,其平均摩擦因数和磨损率分别为0.232和2.379×10-13 m3/(N·m),较未添加石墨烯的MoS2涂层分别降低了49.56%和43%,腐蚀速率（1.96×10-8 A/cm2）较纯MoS2涂层（5.54×10-6 A/cm2）降低了近2个数量级。石墨烯的二维片状结构具有良好的自润滑性能,在涂层中均匀分布时能有效阻隔腐蚀介质的渗透,因此,石墨烯的添加提高了MoS2基复合涂层的摩擦学性能和耐腐蚀性能,石墨烯的最优添加量为0.8%（质量分数）。     

Monitoring of Wear Characteristics of TiN and TiAlN Coatings at Long Sliding Distances

TiN and TiAlN thin hard coatings have been widely applied on machine components and cutting tools to increase their wear resistance. These coatings have different wear behaviors, and determination of their wear characteristics in high-temperature and high-speed applications has great importance in the selection of suitable coating material to application. In this article, the wear behavior of single-layer TiN and TiAlN coatings was investigated at higher sliding speed and higher sliding distances than those in the literature. The coatings were deposited on AISI D2 cold-worked tool steel substrates using a magnetron sputtering system. The wear tests were performed at a sliding speed of 45 cm/s using a ball-on-disc method, and the wear area was investigated at seven different sliding distances (36–1,416 m). An Al₂O₃ ball was used as the counterpart material. The wear evolution was monitored using a confocal optical microscope and surface profilometer after each sliding test. The coefficient of friction and coefficient of wear were recorded with increasing sliding distance. It was found that the wear rate of the TiAlN coating decreases with sliding distance and it is much lower than that of TiN coating at longer sliding distance. This is due to the Al₂O₃ film formation at high temperature in the contact zone. Both coatings give similar coefficient of friction data during sliding with a slight increase in that of the TiAlN coating at high sliding distances due to the increasing alumina formation. When considering all results, the TiAlN coating is more suitable for hard machining applications.     

石墨烯/MoS2复合涂层多环境下的摩擦学性能

以MoS2作为润滑剂,以石墨烯(GE)作为润滑添加剂,采用喷涂法在GCr15钢样片表面制备不同含量的GE/MoS2复合涂层.利用HSR-2M型高速往复式摩擦磨损试验机测试涂层在干摩擦及海水环境中的摩擦磨损性能,并分析了磨痕形貌及磨损机制.结果表明:添加适量石墨烯可明显改善MoS2涂层的摩擦磨损性能,且海水环境中涂层的摩...     

Tribological characteristics of hardened-and-tempered structural steels turned by inserts covered with multicomponent PVD coatings

The effect of coatings deposited on cutting tools using the PVD method on the tribological characteristics of the surface layer after the finish turning of 41Cr4 and 30CrMnSi steels is considered. The tribological characteristics of the turned surfaces change substantially. The best results are achieved when using the (AlTi)N coating, which ensures substantial decreases in the coefficient of friction (by 35–40%) and the temperature in the friction zone (by up to 30%). The dependences of the wear on the friction path are linear; the wear rate of the surfaces turned by the coated tools is significantly lower than that for the surfaces turned by the uncoated tools. Compared to the uncoated R25 hard alloy, the difference in the wear rates reaches 60% in favor of (AlTi)N and (TiAl)N coatings. A decrease in the thickness of the coating from 4 to 2 μm leads to a growth in the coefficient of friction and the temperature. An X-ray structural analysis of the surface layers of the turned specimens has revealed the presence of Fe-Al solid phases, which improve the wear resistance of the surface and the efficiency of coatings like (AlTi)N.     

Deposition of duplex Al2O3/TiN coatings on aluminum alloys for tribological applications using a combined microplasma oxidation (MPO) and arc ion plating (AIP)

Microplasma oxidation (MPO) has recently been studied as a cost-effective plasma electrolytic process to provide thick and hard ceramic coatings with excellent surface load-bearing capacity on aluminum alloys. However, for sliding wear applications, such ceramic coatings often exhibit relatively high friction coefficients against many counterface materials. Although coatings deposited by physical vapour deposition (PVD) techniques such as TiN coatings are well known for providing surfaces with a high hardness, in practice they often exhibit poor performance under mechanical loading, since the coatings are usually too thin to protect the substrate from the contact conditions. In this paper, these challenges were overcome by a duplex process of microplasma oxidation and arc ion plating (AIP), in which an alumina layer Al₂O₃ was deposited on an Al alloy substrate (using MPO as a pre-treatment process) for load support, and a TiN hard coatings were deposited (using AIP) on top of the Al₂O₃ layer for low friction coefficient. Microhardness measurements, pin-on-disc sliding wear tests, and antiwear tests using a Timken tester were performed to evaluate the mechanical and tribological properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe coating morphology, and to examine wear scars from pin-on-disc test. The research demonstrates that a hard and uniform TiN coating, with good adhesion and a low coefficient of friction, can successfully be deposited on top of an alumina intermediate layer to provide excellent load support. The investigations indicate that a duplex combination of MPO coating and TiN PVD coating represents a promising technique for surface modification of Al alloys for heavy surface load bearing application.