A method for the tribological testing of thin,hard coatings

A new method has been developed for tribological testing of thin, hard antiwear coatings, using a ball‐on‐disc tribosystem, under conditions of dry sliding. In this, an Al₂O₃ ball is pressed against a coated steel disc. Wear debris is removed from the contact zone by a stream of dry argon in this novel method. This improves the stability of the tribological properties and the repeatability of the test results. All test conditions are precisely defined, in particular: the type of motion, air relative humidity, ambient temperature, sliding speed, load, tribosystem spatial configuration, substrate material, substrate hardness and roughness, and coating thickness. The method developed has been used to test various physical vapour deposition coatings (deposited by the vacuum arc method), i. e., single‐layer TiN, Ti(C,N), CrN, and Cr(C,N), and multilayer Cr(C,N)/CrN/Cr and Cr(C,N)/(CrN+Cr₂N)/CrN/Cr. It is shown that CrN coatings exhibit the best antiwear properties, and Ti(C,N) the worst. Friction coefficients for CrN and Cr(C,N) coatings are much lower than for the more commonly used TiN. Multilayer coatings have better antiwear properties than single‐layer ones.     

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 Dependence of the High-Performance Ferrous-Based Coating on Different Coating Counterparts in Engine Oil

A ferrous-based coating with significant chromium was fabricated on aluminum alloy substrate using a plasma spray technique. The tribological performance of the as-fabricated ferrous-based coating sliding against different coatings including Cr, CrN, TiN, and diamond-like carbon (DLC) in an engine oil environment were comparatively studied. Results showed that the high hardness of the sprayed ferrous-based coating was achieved due to the dispersion strengthening effect of Cr₇C₃ phase embedded in the austenite matrix. The ferrous-based coating exhibited low friction coefficients when coupled with these four coating counterparts, which could be attributed to the boundary lubricating effect of engine oil. However, both friction and wear of the ferrous-based coating were different when sliding against these different coating counterparts, which might be closely related to the surface roughness, self-lubricating effect, and mechanical properties of the coupled coatings. Ferrous-based coating sliding against CrN and DLC coatings exhibited good tribological performance in engine oil. The best coating counterpart for the ferrous-based coating in an engine was DLC coating.     

Comparison of the effects of ionic liquid and anti‐wear additives on the tribological properties of Cr―Mo―N coatings

Cr―Mo―N coating was prepared by magnetron sputtering, and its crystallinity and phase structure were analysed by X‐ray diffraction. The tribological properties of the coating separately lubricated with L‐P106 ionic liquid was compared with poly‐alpha‐olefin (PAO) and PAO‐containing MoDTP and ZnDTP additives with a ball‐on‐disc reciprocal friction and wear tester. It was found that the tribological properties of as‐prepared Cr―Mo―N coating vary with varying lubricant systems. Namely, the results indicated that the L‐P106 has better friction‐reducing and wear resistance properties than that of MoDTC and ZnDTP. The analyses indicated that Cr―Mo―N coatings and lubrication films can be considered as a solid–liquid duplex lubricating systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative tribological behaviors of TiN, CrN and MoNCu nanocomposite coatings

The purpose of this study is to investigate comparative tribological behaviors of Cu-doped TiN, CrN, and MoN coatings under a wide range of dry sliding conditions. TiN and CrN coatings have been developed and used by industry in numerous tribological applications including, machining, manufacturing and transportation. In contrast, MoN has attracted very little attention as a tribological coating in the past, despite being much harder than both TiN and CrN. In this paper, we will mainly concentrate on the Cu-doped versions of these coatings whose tribological properties have not yet been fully explored. The results of this study have confirmed that the addition of Cu into TiN, CrN and MoN coatings has indeed modified the grain size and morphology, but had a beneficial effect only on the friction and wear behavior of MoN. The tribological behavior of CrN did not change much with the addition of Cu but that of TiN became worse after Cu additions. Raman spectroscopy technique was used to elucidate the structural and chemical natures of the oxide films forming on sliding surfaces of Cu-doped TiN, CrN and MoN films. The differences in the friction and wear behavior of Cu-doped TiN, CrN, and MoN is fully considered and a mechanistic explanation has been provided using the principles of a crystal chemical model that can relate the lubricity of complex oxides to their ionic potentials.     

Substrate Effects on the Micro/Nanomechanical Properties of TiN Coatings

Nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests were performed for titanium nitride (TiN) coatings on different tool steel substrates to investigate the indentation/scratch induced deformation behavior of the coatings and the adhesion of the coating–substrate interfaces and their tribological property. In this work, TiN coatings with a thickness of about 500 nm were grown on GT35, 9Cr18 and 40CrNiMo steels using vacuum magnetic-filtering arc plasma deposition. In the nanoindentation tests, the hardness and modulus curves for TiN/GT35 reduced the slowest around the film thickness 500 nm with the increase of indentation depth, followed by TiN/9Cr18 and TiN/40CrNiMo. Improving adhesion properties of coating and substrate can decrease the differences of internal stress field. The scratch tests showed that the scratch response was controlled by plastic deformation in the substrate. The substrate plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties and wear resistance of such coatings. TiN/GT35 exhibited the best load-carrying capacity and scratch/wear resistance. As a consequence, GT35 is the best substrate for TiN coatings of the substrate materials tested.     

Effects of Nd:YAG Laser Surface Treatment on Tribological Properties of Cold-Sprayed Ti-6Al-4V Coatings Tested against 100Cr6 Steel under Dry Condition

The surfaces of cold-sprayed Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) coatings were laser irradiated with different laser powers of 50–200 W to study the effects of Nd:YAG laser surface treatment on their tribological properties. The hardness of the laser-treated Ti64 coatings became higher with higher laser power due to the more rapid cooling caused by a larger temperature difference between the coating temperature and room temperature. The wear of the laser-treated Ti64 coatings tested against 6-mm 100Cr6 steel balls under dry condition at room temperature decreased with increased laser power as a result of their increased surface wear resistance associated with their increased surface hardness. It could be concluded that the laser surface treatment of the cold-sprayed Ti64 coatings improved their surface wear resistance compared to that of the untreated Ti64 coatings.     

Abrasive Wear of DLC/PVD Multilayer Coatings: AFM Studies

The tribological behaviour of multilayered coatings deposited on plain carbon steel was investigated by microscale abrasion tests (MSATs). The multilayered coatings consisted of an outer diamond‐like carbon (DLC) layer, a physical vapour deposition (PVD) nitride‐based interlayer, and an inner electroless Ni‐P layer. PVD TiN‐ and Ti(C,N)‐coated samples with and without the DLC outer layer were studied in order to evaluate the influence of each layer on the tribological behaviour of the multilayer‐coated system. The MSATs were carried out using a device based on ball‐cratering geometry: a hard steel sphere was rotated against the coated specimen in the presence of an aqueous suspension of SiC particles. The wear coefficients of the multilayers were calculated from the diameter of the wear craters. The morphology of the wear scars produced by the MSATs was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The wear damage was described by measuring the r.m.s. roughness (S_q) on the sides of the wear craters. Roughness values were related to the wear coefficients (k_c) for the different multilayers on the basis of mathematical elaboration typical of the ‘design of experiment’ (DOE) statistical technique. The presence of the DLC outer layer reduced the roughness of the crater sides and significantly increased the wear resistance of the multilayer only in the case of the PVD TiN sublayer.     

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.     

Low Friction CrNMPP/TiNDCMS Multilayer Coatings

Transition metal nitrides like CrN and TiN are widely used in automotive applications due to their high hardness and wear resistance. Recently, we showed that a multilayer architecture of CrN and TiN, deposited using the hybrid—high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS)—HIPIMS/DCMS deposition technique, results in coatings which indicate not only increased mechanical and tribological properties but also friction coefficients in the range of diamond-like-carbon coatings when tested at RT and ambient air conditions. The modulated pulsed power (MPP) deposition technique was used to replace the HIPIMS powered cathode within this study to allow for a higher deposition rate, which is based on the complex MPP pulse configuration. Our results on MPP/DCMS deposited CrN/TiN multilayer coatings indicate excellent mechanical and tribological properties, comparable to those obtained for HIPIMS/DCMS. Hardness values are around 25 GPa with wear rates in the range of 2 × 10⁻¹⁶ Nm/m³ and a coefficient of friction around 0.05 when preparing a superlattice structure. The low friction values can directly be correlated to the relative humidity in the ambient air during dry sliding testing. A minimum relative humidity of 13% is necessary to guarantee such low friction values, as confirmed by repeated tests, which are even obtained after vacuum annealing to 700 °C. Our results demonstrate that the co-sputtering of high metal ion sputtering techniques and conventional DC sputtering opens a new field of applications for CrN/TiN coatings as high wear resistance and low friction coatings.     

Architecture of Multilayer Cr/CrN Coatings for Wear Protection in Seawater: Cr/CrN Ratio and Total Thickness

Cr/CrN multilayer coatings with various Cr/CrN thickness ratios and total thicknesses were deposited on 316L stainless steel by multi-arc ion plating. The coatings were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and nanoindentation. Tribological behaviors were investigated using a ball-on-disk tribometer in artificial seawater. The results showed that the multilayer coating phases changed from Cr₂N + CrN to Cr + Cr₂N + CrN phases with an increase in Cr/CrN thickness ratio. The adhesion showed a slight difference for the coatings with different thickness ratios but significantly increased with total thickness. The hardness was also slightly improved by thickening the coatings. The friction coefficient and wear rate were lowest at a thickness ratio of about 0.3. However, there was no large difference in the friction coefficient between coatings with different thicknesses. The wear rate was lower for the thicker coatings under various loads. The load-bearing capacity was also improved by thickening the coatings.     

Tribological and mechanical investigation of SiO2 and Si3N4 coatings on fused silica and borosilicate glass

Amorphous SiO₂ and Si₃N₄ plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposited (PECVD) coatings were deposited on two different substrate materials (fused silica and borosilicate glass), with three coating thicknesses (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 μm). The mechanical properties (hardness and elastic modulus) were determined by depth‐sensing indentation, with loads from 700 mN down to 0.1 mN. Tribological behaviour was studied in instrumented oscillating sliding tests at room temperature with a ball‐on‐flat arrangement, in which the coated disc was tested against an alumina ball, at a load of 1 N. Interpretation of the measurement of hardness and modulus of the coatings has to take into consideration the influence of layer thickness and the effect of the substrate. Tensile film stress and crack generation were only observed for Si₃N₄ on fused silica above a threshold thickness. Friction and wear measurements show that the coating has an effect on friction, while wear is affected by the thin coatings only for a short running‐in phase. The morphology of the wear scars indicates that the coatings have good adhesion. Despite crack generation, delamination effects were not observed. Indentation patterns similarly showed excellent lateral homogeneity of the mechanical properties over the entire film surface, and indicated that load‐displacement curves may be used to characterise the system.     

Vacuum tribological behaviour of self‐lubricating quasicrystalline composite coatings

High‐temperature‐resistant self‐lubricating coatings are needed in space vehicles for components that operate at high temperatures and/or under vacuum. Thick composite lubricant coatings containing quasicrystalline alloys as the hard phase for wear resistance can be deposited by a thermal spray technique. The coatings also contain lubricating materials (silver and BaF₂ CaF2 eutectic) and NiCr as the tough component. This paper describes the vacuum tribological properties of TH103, a coating of this type, with a very good microstructural quality. The coating was deposited by high‐velocity oxygen fuel spraying and tested under vacuum using a pin‐on‐disc tribometer. Different loads, linear speeds, and pin materials were studied. The pin scars and disc wear tracks were characterised using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. A minimum mean steady friction coefficient of 0.32 was obtained when employing an X750 Ni superalloy pin in vacuum conditions under 10 N load and 15 cm/s linear speed, showing moderate wear of the disc and low wear of the pin.     

TiN/Ti涂层在波箔轴承中的摩擦磨损性能

采用真空离子镀的方法在304不锈钢基体上喷涂厚度为3μm的TiN/Ti薄层,利用硬度计、三维形貌仪、划痕试验仪对涂层基本力学性能进行分析,通过球盘试验机分析涂层试样的摩擦磨损性能,根据波箔轴承性能测试实验台的测试结果:研究TiN/Ti涂层对基体表面耐磨减摩性能的影响。研究结果表明:TiN涂层硬度可达HV1 500,是基材硬度的5.5倍;TiN/Ti涂层平均摩擦因数为0.23,相对不锈钢304基材的平均摩擦因数0.71,降低了68%,磨损量也仅为基材的18.75%;GCr15与PTFE对磨的最大摩擦力矩可达2.4 N·mm,而TiN/Ti与PTFE对磨的最大摩擦力矩仅为1 N·mm,仅为GCr15的41.7%。TiN/Ti涂层表现出了优异的承载能力和耐磨减摩性能。     

不同基体CrN/CrCN多层涂层海水环境摩擦学性能研究*

为研究不同基体材料对CrN/CrCN多层涂层在海水环境下摩擦学性能的影响,采用多弧离子镀技术在H65铜合金、TC4钛合金和316L不锈钢基体上沉积CrN和CrN/CrCN多层复合涂层,通过XRD、SEM等技术对涂层的结构进行表征,通过结合力、硬度测试和摩擦磨损试验分析涂层在大气环境和海水环境下的力学性能和摩擦学性能。结果表明:CrN/CrCN多层涂层的内应力相对于CrN明显减小,且硬度相对CrN涂层较高;TC4钛合金为基体的涂层结合力较好且涂层硬度较高;在海水环境下涂层的摩擦因数相对于大气环境都有较大幅度下降,其中,以TC4钛合金和316L不锈钢为基体的涂层摩擦因数较小;以H65铜合金为基体的2种涂层在海水中的磨损率高于大气中,而以TC4合金、316L不锈钢为基体的CrN/CrCN多层涂层在海水环境下的磨损率低于大气环境;TC4钛合金为基体的CrN/CrCN多层涂层在海水环境下具有最低的磨损率,表明TC4钛合金更适合作为海水环境下CrN/CrCN多层涂层耐磨的基体材料。     

Evaluation of wear and tribological properties of coatings rubbing against copper

A new crossed-cylinders tribo-tester is proposed. This tribo-tester can decrease the tendency of the chatter vibration. The tribological properties of coatings against copper is evaluated with this tribo-tester. The wear rate of TiN, TiC and TiCN rubbing against copper is higher than the substrate high speed tool steel: SKH51 (JIS). The catalytic action of copper for oxidation of Ti-based coatings is a main reason of this high wear rate of TiN, TiC and TiCN rubbing against copper. The wear rate of CrN rubbing against copper is in a very low level because CrN shows the excellent oxidation resistance and Cr₂O₃ film formation decreases the wear loss of CrN coating.     

Tribological behaviour and wear mechanism of MoS2–Cr coatings sliding against various counterbody

MoS₂–Cr coatings with different Cr contents have been deposited on high speed steel substrates by closed field unbalanced magnetron (CFUBM) sputtering. The tribological properties of the coatings have been tested against different counterbodies under dry conditions using an oscillating friction and wear tester. The coating microstructures, mechanical properties and wear resistance vary according to the Cr metal-content. MoS₂ tribological properties are improved with a Cr metal dopant in the MoS₂ matrix. The optimum Cr content varies with different counterbodies. Showing especially good tribological properties were MoS₂–Cr8% coating sliding against either AISI 1045 steel or AA 6061 aluminum alloy, and MoS₂–Cr5% coating sliding against bronze. Enhanced tribological behavior included low wear depth on coating, low wear width on counterbody, low friction coefficients and long durability.     

Thermal stability and high-temperature wear of Ti–TiN and TiN–CrN nanomultilayer coatings under self-mated conditions

Ti–TiN and TiN–CrN nanomultilayers were thermally stable retaining uniform and sharp layer interfaces up to 24 h at 773 K, without any oxidation or phase transformation accompanying each individual layer. Decreasing the multilayer spacing resulted in an increase in the hardness in both cases. The coating hardness was found to be independent of the substrate type, when applied on HS718, Ti64 and HCHCr substrates. In scratch testing, the multilayers displayed a better resistance to the onset of failure, as compared to the monolayer TiN. The substrate plasticity played an important role in determining the coating failure mode. Self-mated wear tests revealed the CrN–TiN system to exhibit the best wear behaviour, both at room temperature and at 773 K. The Ti–TiN coatings are more accommodative with all three substrates, as compared to TiN–CrN and TiN.     

Corrosion-wear behaviour of PVD Cr/CrN multilayer coatings for gear applications

At present, one of the most important problems in automobile engines and transmission components is due to tribological processes (friction and wear) that in many cases come accompanied by corrosion processes due to the environmental conditions to which these materials are exposed during their lifetime. Both mechanisms can be minimized by means of the development and the application of adequate coatings that combine low friction with a high corrosion and wear resistance.The new tendencies in industrial PVD coatings to improve their properties are focused in the development of new multilayer and nanostructured coatings. These structures allow in a relatively simple way enhancing their tribological properties and the corrosion resistance that can not be reached by means of the traditional monolayer coatings. The background of this type of coatings consists of the stacking up of several layers with good individual tribological and mechanical properties, but every individual layer has a thickness that can be from hundreds of nanometres down to only 5-10 nm. The properties of these nanostructured coatings depend strongly on the thickness modulation of every individual layer.Concerning PVD coatings, the chrome nitride coatings have demonstrated to possess excellent wear resistance properties. In this work, multilayer Cr/CrN coatings with different individual layer thickness have been deposited on substrates of steel F1272 and silicon. The deposition has been carried out by means of the cathodic arc method alternating an atmosphere of pure Ar with a reactive mixture of N₂/Ar. The multilayers obtained have been analyzed by means of Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES) and in some cases by means of FE-SEM obtaining bilayer (Cr/CrN) periods of the order of 220 and 45 nm. The coating characterization has been complemented with hardness and composition measurements as well as by the performance of several wear and corrosion-wear tests.     

Mechanical and tribological properties of Cr–Nb double-glow plasma coatings deposited on Ti–Al alloy

Double-glow plasma (DGP) coatings are recommended for metallic components to mitigate the damage induced by complex working conditions in previous studies. In this paper, Nb-rich (Cr–Nb₄) and Cr-rich (Cr₄–Nb) -alloyed layers were formed onto the Ti–Al substrate via a DGP process to enhance its wear resistance. Scratch and Nano-indentation tests were used to evaluate the mechanical properties of the coatings. The tribological behaviour of the coatings were investigated using a pin-on-disc tribometer by rubbing against the GCr15 ball. Results from surface analysis techniques showed that the coatings mainly comprised Cr, Nb and Cr₂–Nb phases, and were well bonded to the substrate. The hardness of the Cr–Nb₄ coating was 11.61GPa and the Cr₄–Nb coating was 9.66 GPa which all higher than that of the uncoated Ti–Al which was 5.65 GPa. However, the critical load of the Cr₄–Nb coating ~21.64 was higher than that of the Cr–Nb₄ coating ~17.6. And the specific wear rate of Cr–Nb₄ coating, Cr₄–Nb coating and uncoated Ti–Al were 3.54 × 10^?4, 0.01 × 10^?4 and 1.53 × 10^?4mm³ N^?1 m^?1_, respectively. The low-wear mechanism of the coatings is discussed in detail in this paper.