Investigation of tribological properties of micro-arc oxidation ceramic coating on Mg alloy under dry sliding condition

To enhance wear resistance of Mg alloy, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) ceramic coatings on Mg substrate were prepared in silicate electrolyte under various currents. It was found that the surface roughness and thickness of MAO coating were increased with the increase of current. The dry tribological tests showed that the friction coefficient and wear resistance of thicker coatings (obtained under currents of 3?A and 4?A) were much higher than that of Mg alloy and the thin coating (obtained under current of 2?A), meanwhile the lifetime of the coating obtained under 4?A was longer than the other coatings under higher load. The wear type of thin MAO coating was slight abrasive wear under low load, whereas translated to severe adhesive wear under high load. While the main wear mechanism of thick MAO coating was slight abrasive wear or scratch under the given test condition, which was attributed to the thick intermediate layer improved load support for the soft substrate. The tribological study indicated that the MAO coating obtained under 4?A current had better wear resistance and life time due to its compact microstructure and thickness.     

Repair of spline shaft by laser-cladding coarse TiC reinforced Ni-based coating: Process,microstructure and properties

To repair the surface defects of spline shaft and improve wear resistance, the coarse TiC reinforced Ni-based composite coatings were fabricated on the spline shaft surface by laser cladding with six types of precursors containing Ni45, coarse TiC, and fine TiN powder. The effects of ceramic content and fine TiN addition on the formability, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the coatings were studied comprehensively. In TiC reinforced Ni-based coatings 1–3 without fine TiN addition, the porosity decreased from 20.415 % to 0.571 % with the increase of TiC concentration. The coatings mainly consist of CrB, Cr7C3, Cr23C6, coarse TiC, and γ-Ni. With the addition of fine TiN, the length of the ceramic phases in coatings 1#–3# decreased slightly, while volume fraction and porosity increased. Moreover, the ring-shaped Ti (C, N) phases were also detected at the edges of both undissolved TiC and TiN particles, which improved the bonding force between ceramics and matrix. Besides, these ceramics inhibited the generation of columnar crystals and eliminated the heat-affected zone. The performance test results show that the coating 3# with 30 wt% TiC and 6 wt% TiN exhibits the best wear resistance despite slightly decreased hardness, and its friction coefficient of 0.409 and wear rate of 42.44 × 10⁻⁶ mm³ N⁻¹·m⁻¹ are, respectively, 0.667 and 0.307 times those of the substrate. Based on the additive/subtractive hybrid manufacturing technology, the optimized coatings were ground to obtain the finishing surface, which indicates that the coarse TiC reinforced coating can be employed in repairing the damaged parts.     

Wear-resistant multilayered diamond-like carbon coating prepared by pulse biased arc ion plating

Diamond-like carbon coatings have been deposited by a pulse biased arc ion plating. In order to improve their adherence to metal substrate, two systems of graded transition layers, namely Ti/TiN/TiC and Ti/TiCN/TiC, have been applied. The structure and composition of the diamond-like carbon/transition composite coatings were studied by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The total thickness of the coatings was within a range of 1.0–2.0 μm. Such multi-layer coatings showed excellent properties including high hardness, low friction coefficient and long wear-resistant lifetime. Diamond like carbon coatings as well as their wear tracks developed by sliding steel balls have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results of the analysis, particularly that of the tribological study showed that the wear resistance and film-to-substrate adherence of diamond like carbon coatings with stainless steel surface were dramatically improved by using a graded transition layer and pulse biased arc ion plating.     

Rolling-Contact Fatigue and Wear of CVD-SiC with Residual Surface Compression

The rolling-contact fatigue life and wear of CVD-SiC coatings with surface compression were studied using a three- ball-on-rod rolling-contact fatigue (RCF) tester. Two levels of surface compression in the coatings, approximately 190 μm thick, were introduced by using substrates of a liquid-phase sintered SiC and a SiC-30 vol% TiC to obtain desired thermal-expansion mismatches with the CVD-SiC. Residual surface compressions of 250 and 680 MPa were measured in the CVD-SiC coatings on SiC and SiC-30 vol% TiC substrates, respectively, by a strain-gage technique. In the RCF test, the fatigue life of the CVD-SiC coating with the moderate surface compression was limited by severe wear by a brittle fracture mechanism at a Hertzian contact stress of 5.5 GPa. The CVD-SiC coating on the SiC-30 vol% TiC composite, on the other hand, did not show measurable wear. A majority of the tests (11 out of 16) were suspended at 100 h or stopped due to failure of the steel balls. Five tests stopped due to spalling of the CVD-SiC coating at weak interfaces 10 to 15 μm below the contact surface. Examination of the microstructure of the CVD-SiC coating in cross sections revealed that the weak interfaces that led to the spalling were related to discontinuous growth of the CVD-SiC in the form of nodules or growth regions. Elimination of these defective structures is likely to enhance the tribological performance of surface-toughened CVD-SiC.     

Design and development of TiC-reinforced 410 martensitic stainless steel coatings fabricated by laser cladding

AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel (MSS) coatings, reinforced with TiC ceramic particles of varying contents (0, 5%, 10% and 15%), have been fabricated by laser cladding technology for the first time in this study. The microstructure evolution and properties of the laser-cladded specimens are carefully investigated by advanced techniques, including XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, a micro-hardness tester and a ball-on-disc tribological tester. The obtained results show that the as-cladded 410 MSS coating is mainly composed of coarse lath martensite (M), a few austenite (A) and M₂₃C₆. After addition of TiC ceramic particles, the lath-shaped M is significantly refined, meanwhile the nano-sized Ti-enriched ceramic precipitates (TiC and Ti(C,N)) are formed in the composite coatings. However, microcracks and pores occur in the laser-cladded coating with addition of TiC up to 15%. It is found that both the microhardness and wear resistance of the coatings are enhanced with an increasing TiC content, and the 10% TiC-reinforced coating exhibits the optimal comprehensive performance, with much higher microhardness and wear resistance in comparison to the TiC-free MSS coating. The remarkable properties of the TiC-reinforced 410 MSS coatings can be mainly ascribed to the synergistic effects of microstructural refinement, nano-precipitation hardening and second-phase strengthening.     

Fabrication of functionally graded Fe-TiC wear resistant coating on CK45 steel substrate by plasma spray and evaluation of mechanical properties

The main challenge in production of metal matrix composite coatings is the existence of thermal residual stress in coating – substrate interface which results in delamination of the coating eventually. The aim of this paper is to enhance the tensile bond adhesion of the coating by fabricating functionally graded coating. In this regard, raw materials including titanium carbide and iron powders were milled with different compositions. From the substrate to the surface, the weight fraction of TiC particulates increased from 25% to 100%, while the weight fraction of Fe particulates decreased in mentioned direction. Moreover to make a comparison between mechanical properties of the graded coating with those of duplex and single layer coatings, a coating system comprising NiCrAlY bond coat and 100?wt% TiC top coat and a single layer titanium carbide coating were prepared as well. X-Ray diffraction method was used to identify obtained phases from each composition. In addition, microstructural properties of the coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscope. Mechanical properties such as adhesion, hardness and wear resistance were evaluated by tensile bond test, Vicker's method and pin- on- disc method, respectively. The results revealed that the FGC sample has higher coating adhesion in comparison with other coating. Moreover the wear test results showed that the FGC sample faced with less weight loss which means higher wear resistance.     

Wear-resistant ceramic coatings deposited by liquid thermal spraying

As a surface strengthening and surface modification technology of materials, liquid thermal spray technology has been used in many fields, such as wear and friction reduction, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature oxidation resistance. This article reviews the progress of liquid thermal sprayed coating in wear resistance as well as friction reduction in recent years. The influences of microstructure, composition, phase structure and mechanical properties on the tribological properties of typical coatings (including ceramic coatings and multiphase composite coatings) are investigated. The tribological properties of the coating are determined by the coating characteristics (including microstructure, porosity, mechanical properties, etc.) and the service conditions (working temperature, lubrication state, etc.). Typical ceramic wear-resistant coatings include Al₂O₃, YSZ, HA coatings, etc. The tribological properties of the coating can be significantly improved through process optimization and heat treatment. The comparison of nanostructured and microstructured ceramic-based coating reveals that nanostructured coating reduces wear by absorbing stress. The interaction between different constituent phases improves wear resistance and reduces wear in composite coatings. Finally, various challenges faced by liquid thermal spray are pointed out, and future research focuses are proposed.     

Effect of MoS2/PTFE coatings on performance of Si3N4/TiC ceramics in dry sliding against WC/Co

To enhance the tribological performance of Si₃N₄/TiC ceramics, MoS₂/PTFE composite coatings were deposited on the ceramic substrate through spraying method. The micrographs and basic properties of the MoS₂/PTFE coated samples were investigated. Dry sliding friction experiments against WC/Co ball were performed with the coated ceramics and traditional ones. These results showed that the composite coatings could significantly reduce the friction coefficient of ceramics, and protect the substrate from adhesion wear. The primary tribological mechanisms of the coated ceramics were abrasive wear, coating spalling and delamination, and the tribological property was transited from slight wear to serious wear with the increase of load because of the lower surface hardness and shear strength. The possible mechanisms for the effects of MoS₂/PTFE composite coatings on the friction performance of ceramics were discussed.     

Laser pyrolyzed organosilazane-based Al/ZrO2 composite coating on stainless steel: Resulting microstructure and mechanical properties

Protective ceramic-based coatings are frequently the most suitable solutions for problems like corrosion and wear. It has been shown that the precursor technology is suitable for the preparation of ceramic coatings by pyrolysis in a furnace. However, the required high temperature for the preparation of the ceramic coatings limits this approach to high temperature-resistant substrates. A very innovative approach to overcome this restriction is the use of laser radiation as a thermal source for the pyrolysis of the preceramic polymer. In this paper, we report on a coating system, for steel substrates, consisting of a polysilazane (Durazane 2250) bond coat and a hard and dense top-coat composed of an organosilazane (Durazane 1800) with tetragonal ZrO₂ particles and aluminum flakes as fillers pyrolyzed using Nd:YVO₄ laser. The aluminum fillers led to a significant increase in absorption of the laser energy leading to the formation of a dense coating with a thickness up to 20 μm and a mainly cellular/columnar-dendritic microstructure. The microstructure, mechanical, and tribological behaviors of these composite coatings are reported and compared to those of laser pyrolyzed glass/ZrO₂-filled polysilazane-based coatings reported in the literature.     

Effect of TiC addition on the microstructure and properties of Ni3Ta–TaC reinforced Ni-based wear-resistant coating

The present study focuses on the surface wear-resistant strengthening technology of the tunnel boring machine disc cutter ring. Ni₃Ta–TaC reinforced Ni-based wear-resistant coatings were synthesized in-situ on the surface of 5Cr5MoSiV steel by laser cladding with pure Ni spherical powder, pure Ta spherical powder and Ni coated graphite. To inhibit coating cracking, TiC powder was added to promote the in-situ formation of TaC. The effect of adding TiC on the microstructure and properties of Ni-based wear-resistant coating has been investigated by experiments and first-principles calculation. The results show that Ni₃Ta and TaC particles are synthesized in-situ in the coating, and small TaC particles are aggregated around TiC. The orientation relationship of TaC (100)//TiC (100) is confirmed by EBSD and TEM. The properties of interface of TaC (100) and TiC (100) are calculated by the first-principles, showing that the C–Ti and Ta–C interface has high adhesion and good stability. The wear resistance of the two coatings is 4 times higher than that of the substrate. The addition of TiC can effectively inhibit the formation of the lath-shaped Ni₃Ta intermetallic compound and cracks, resulting in excellent wear resistance and toughness.     

Strongly adherent Al2O3 coating on SS 316L: Optimization of plasma spray parameters and investigation of unique wear resistance behaviour under air and nitrogen environment

Plasma spray deposition of Al₂O₃ is a well-established technique for thick ceramic coatings on various substrates to shield them from corrosion and wear. Owing to its high hardness, aluminum oxide is known to protect stainless steel substrates from wear. However, the plasma process requires optimization for desired coating thickness and adhesion strength. It is also necessary to understand the sensitivity of friction and wear resistance of the deposited coating on exposed environment for evaluation of service life. The study offers comprehensive investigation on plasma process parameters for the development of strongly adherent aluminium oxide coatings on SS 316L substrate. Impact of environment like dry air and dry nitrogen on tribological properties of the coatings was also investigated. Dense adherent coatings of alumina could be deposited on SS 316L at a plasma power of 20 kW with an intermediate bond coat of NiCrAlY to enhance the adhesion properties. The effects of stand-off distance and bond coat thickness on adhesion strength were additionally examined. Further, the coatings were characterised for phase composition, microstructure, microhardness and wear resistance potential. Reciprocating wear tests of the coatings were carried out using ball on disc reciprocating tribometer at different loading conditions (5, 10 and 15 N) at constant (5 Hz) sliding frequency. Unlike the coefficient of friction (COF), wear volume was found to increase with an increase in normal load. These adherent coatings revealed promising properties for the applications where the tribological failure of SS 316L in dry air or dry nitrogen environment is to be controlled.     

Nanostructure,mechanical and tribological properties of reactive magnetron sputtered TiCx coatings

This study describes the correlation between microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of TiC_x coatings (with x being in the range of 0–1.4), deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering from a Ti target in Ar/C₂H₂ mixtures at ~ 200 °C. The mechanical and tribological properties were found to strongly depend on the chemical composition and the microstructure present. Very dense structures and high hardness, combined with low wear rates and friction coefficients, were observed for coatings with chemical composition close to TiC. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, used to evaluate coating microstructure, composition and relative phase fraction, showed that low carbon contents in the coatings lead to sub-stoichiometric nanocrystalline TiC_x coatings being deposited, whilst higher carbon contents gave rise to dual phase nanocomposite coatings consisting of stoichiometric TiC nanocrystallites and free amorphous carbon. Optimum performance was observed for nanocomposite TiC_1.1 coatings, comprised of nanocrystalline nc-TiC (with an average grain size of ~ 15 nm) separated by 2–3 monolayers of an amorphous a-DLC matrix phase.     

Tribomechanical and microstructural properties of cathodic arc-deposited ternary nitride coatings

Sintered carbides are promising materials for surfaces that are exposed to extreme wear. Owing to their high service load, ceramic-based thin films are coated on carbides using different techniques. In this study, non-toxic and cobalt-free powder metallurgy-sintered carbide samples were coated with TiN, TiAlN, CrAlN, and TiSiN ceramic-based thin film coatings by cathodic arc physical vapor deposition. The microstructure (phase formation, coating thickness, surface roughness, and topography), mechanical properties (hardness, modulus of elasticity, and plasticity indices), and tribological properties (nanoscratch and wear behavior) of the thin film coatings were investigated. No cracks or defects were detected in these layers. The ceramic-based ternary nitride thin film coatings exhibited better mechanical performance than the TiN coating. The TiN thin film coating had the highest average surface roughness, which deteriorated its tribological performance. The ternary nitride thin film coatings exhibited high toughness, while the TiN thin film coating exhibited brittle behavior under applied loads when subjected to nanoscratch tests. The wear resistance of the ternary nitride coatings increased by nearly 9–17 times as compared to that of the TiN coating and substrate. Among all the samples investigated, the substrate showed the highest coefficient of friction (COF), while the TiSiN coating exhibited the lowest COF. The TiSiN thin film coating showed improved mechanical and tribological properties as compared to other binary and ternary nitride thin film coatings.     

Structures and tribological performances of PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone)-based coatings designed for tribological application

Driven by economical and ecological reasons, thermoplastic-based coatings become a potential solution for anti-wear purpose. Two coating design concepts, flame spraying and printing PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone)-based coatings on Al substrate, were introduced in this paper. An amorphous PEEK coating was obtained by these two techniques. After being annealed, the coating presents a semi-crystalline structure. The friction and wear behaviors of PEEK-based coatings were investigated by means of ball-on-disc tests. The results show that PEEK coatings exhibit an excellent tribological performance with a relatively low coefficient of friction and wear rate. The semi-crystalline PEEK coating exhibits a lower friction coefficient and wear rate than the amorphous one. The additions of micron-sized particles such as SiC and graphite in PEEK coating can improve significantly the coating wear resistance.     

Advanced TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering

TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings have been deposited by magnetron sputtering. They consist of 2–5 nm TiC nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) matrix. A transition from a columnar to a glassy microstructure has been observed in the nanocomposite coatings with increasing substrate bias or carbon content. Micro-cracks induced by nanoindentation or wear tests readily propagate through the column boundaries whereas the coatings without a columnar microstructure exhibit substantial toughness. The nanocomposite coatings exhibit hardness of 5–20 GPa, superior wear resistance and strong self-lubrication effects with a friction coefficient of 0.05 in air and 0.01 in nitrogen, under dry sliding against uncoated bearing steel balls. Especially, reversible transitions from low to ultra-low friction are observed if the atmosphere is cycled between ambient air and nitrogen. The lowest wear rate is obtained at high humidity.     

Synergistic effect of surface textures and DLC coatings for enhancing friction and wear performances of Si3N4/TiC ceramic

To enhance the tribological properties of Si₃N₄ based ceramics, surface textures of dimples combined with DLC coatings are fabricated on Si₃N₄/TiC ceramic surface by nanosecond laser and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The dry friction and wear performances are evaluated by unidirectional sliding friction tests using a rotary ball-on-disk tribometer. Results reveal that the friction and wear properties of Si₃N₄/TiC ceramics are significantly enhanced by DLC coatings or dimpled textures, and the DLC coatings combined with dimpled textures show the best efficiency in reducing friction, adhesion and wear. This improvement can be explained by the synergistic effect of DLC coatings and surface textures, and the synergistic mechanisms are attributed to the formation of lubrication film and secondary lubrication, debris capture of dimpled textures, increased surface hardness and mechanical interlocking effect, and reduced contact area.     

Feasibility study of adding buffer layers for the laser deposition of high-ceramic content (TiB + TiC)–Ti coatings using B4C/Ti powders

Wear-resistant coatings have been widely used to improve the tribological properties of titanium-based parts, structures, and tools, such as engine blades, tanker trucks, heat exchangers, and drilling bits, in the aerospace industries, chemical industries, offshore engineering, and oil and gas engineering. In the view of the applications in the fabrication of wear-resistant coatings on titanium substrates, the laser deposition of ceramic reinforced titanium coatings is widely investigated. Reported investigations show that the (TiB + TiC) reinforced titanium matrix composite coatings with high ceramic content can significantly increase the hardness and wear resistance. However, due to the low compatibility between ceramics and titanium, a high ceramic content always leads to a relatively low bonding quality and the generation of cracks and defects. To fabricate the high ceramic content (TiB + TiC)–Ti coatings, this study investigates the feasibility of adding buffer layers for the first time. The phase compositions, microstructures, element compositions, and mechanical properties of the different layers have been analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDS, and instruments to measure hardness and wear resistance. The deposited gradient coatings are free of fabrication defects with good metallic adhesion with titanium substrates. In the center of the top coating layers, the extremely high-volume content of ceramic reinforcements (including the major component of TiB and TiC and the minor component of TiB₂, B₂₅C, and unreacted B₄C) leads to high microhardness and excellent wear resistance. These results suggest that adding buffer layers is a feasible method to fabricate high-ceramic content coatings on titanium-based structures and tools.     

Surface tailoring of an ethylene propylene diene elastomeric terpolymer via plasma‐polymerized coating of tetramethyldisiloxane

In the research presented here, we explore the use of a low‐energy plasma to deposit thin silicone polymer films using tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO) (H(CH₃)₂? Si? O? Si? (CH₃)₂H) on the surface of an ethylene propylene diene elastomeric terpolymer (EPDM) in order to enhance the surface hydrophobicity, lower the surface energy and improve the degradation/wear characteristics. The processing conditions were varied over a wide range of treatment times and discharge powers to control the physical characteristics, thickness, morphology and chemical structure of the plasma polymer films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that pore‐free homogeneous plasma polymer thin films of granular microstructure composed of small grains are formed and that the morphology of the granular structure depends on the plasma processing conditions, such as plasma power and time of deposition. The thicknesses of the coatings were determined using SEM, which confirmed that the thicknesses of the deposited plasma‐polymer films could be precisely controlled by the plasma parameters. The kinetics of plasma‐polymer film deposition were also evaluated. Contact angle measurements of different solvent droplets on the coatings were used to calculate the surface energies of the coatings. These coatings appeared to be hydrophobic and had low surface energies. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoacoustic Fourier‐transform infrared (PA‐FT‐IR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the detailed chemical structures of the deposited films. The optimum plasma processing conditions to achieve the desired thin plasma polymer coatings are discussed in the light of the chemistry that takes place at the interfaces. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Tribological performance of SiC coating for carbon/carbon composites at elevated temperatures

SiC coating was deposited on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The effects of elevated temperatures on tribological performance of SiC coating were investigated. The related microstructure and wear mechanism were analyzed. The results show that the as-deposited SiC coating consists of uniformity of β-SiC phase. The mild abrasive and slight adhesive wear were the main wear mechanisms at room temperature, and the SiC coating presented the maximum friction coefficient and the minimum wear rate. Slight oxidation of debris was occurred when the temperature rose to 300?°C. As the temperature was above 600?°C, dense oxide film formed on the worn surface. The silica tribo-film replaced the mechanical fracture and dominated the frication process. However, the aggravation of oxidation at elevated temperatures was responsible for the decrease of friction coefficient and the deterioration of wear rate. The SiC coating presented the minimum friction coefficient and the maximum wear rate when the temperature was 800?°C.     

Microstructure,mechanical and tribological properties of WC-WCoB coating

A new kind of WC-based coating with superhard WCoB compound as the binder was fabricated by the high velocity oxy-fuel spraying of WC-WB-Co powder. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of the WC-WCoB coating were investigated, together with those of the conventional WC-Co coating for comparison. The results demonstrated that the WC-WCoB coating has simultaneously improved hardness and fracture toughness, and thus remarkably decreased wear rate as compared to the conventional coating. The enhanced tribological properties of the WC-WCoB coating are attributed to the low plastic deformation and the resultant inhibition of the micro-ploughing wear and the increased fracture toughness and interfacial bonding, which can reduce the amount of large cracks. Moreover, the high intrinsic hardness of WC and WCoB, as well as their good interfacial bonding, are more effective in resisting against wear as compared with the conventional coating.