Machining performance of Ti-Al-Si-N coated inserts

Ti-Al-Si-N quaternary coating has recently been developed for industrial applications due to its excellent machining performance. Here, we present a comparative research on Ti-Al-N single layer, Ti-Al-Si-N single layer, TiAlN-TiAlSiN bilayer and TiAlN/TiAlSiN multilayer coatings deposited onto cemented carbide substrates by cathodic arc evaporation. The incorporation of Si into the Ti-Al-N coating results in an increase in hardness and thermal stability due to the formation of nanocomposite nc-TiAlN/a-Si₃N₄, and thereby causes an improved performance during continuous cutting. However, the lower toughness and adhesive strength with a substrate reduce its cutting-life during milling. Further optimization of Ti-Al-Si-N coated inserts during milling can be obtained by a structure adjustment from the nanocomposite into TiAlN-TiAlSiN bilayer and TiAlN/TiAlSiN multilayer coatings, which causes an increase to 156% and 172% for the life-time of Ti-Al-Si-N coated inserts, respectively. Our results indicate that the machining performance of coatings containing Si in both continuous cutting and milling can be optimized by the structure design of the TiAlN/TiAlSiN multilayer, where the coating sustains a high hardness of the Ti-Al-Si-N coating combined with a good cohesive strength with the substrate similar to the Ti-Al-N coating.     

Oxidation post-treatment of hard AlTiN coating for machining of hardened steels

In this study, cemented carbide ball nose end mills with nano-crystalline Al_0.67Ti_0.33N hard PVD coatings deposited by cathodic arc evaporation were annealed at 700 °C during 2 h in a controlled atmosphere environment (argon + oxygen mixture) and in vacuum. The changes of structure and properties of the treated coating surfaces have been analyzed using both cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) of the N-K and O-K edges. Cutting tools have been run through ball nose end milling of hardened H13 steel (HRC 50) where temperature or stress dominating phenomena control tool life. The data obtained indicate that an AlTiN coated cutting tool can be modified upon annealing at low temperature conditions and should be considered as a composite surface engineered material. It is shown that increased tool life could be achieved if annealing of AlTiN is performed in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. A variety of different characteristics should be optimized to achieve better wear resistance of the cutting tools with annealed Al_0.67Ti_0.33N coating under high temperature and stress cutting conditions.     

Investigation on wear behaviour of cryogenically treated TiAlN coated tungsten carbide inserts in turning

Cryogenic treatment has been ascribed as a way of improving the cutting life of tungsten carbide turning inserts. Most of the research conducted till date has not reported any effort to excavate the effect of cryogenic treatment on the performance of coated tungsten carbide inserts in terms of adhesion strength of coatings deposited on tungsten carbide substrate. In order to understand the effect of cryogenic treatment on the adhesion strength of coatings, a comparative investigation of the wear behaviour and machining performance of cryogenically treated coated tungsten carbide inserts in orthogonal turning has been carried out in this study. The commercially available TiAlN coated square shaped tungsten carbide inserts (P25) were procured and subjected to cryogenic treatment at two levels −110 °C (shallow treatment) and −196 °C (deep treatment) of temperature independently. The criterion selected for determining the turning performance was based on the maximum flank wear (0.6 mm) as recommended in ISO 3685-1993. The results showed that shallow cryogenically treated coated tungsten carbide inserts performed significantly better as compared with deep cryogenically treated and untreated inserts. Major outcome of the present study includes a substantial decrease in tool life of deep cryogenically treated inserts as compared to untreated inserts indicating the destructive effect of deep cryogenic temperature (−196 °C) on TiAlN coated inserts which is further supported by VDI-3198 indentation test.     

Scratch resistance of platinum-vanadium single and multilayer systems

The effects of annealing on coating morphology and scratch resistance have been studied in several single and multilayered Pt-V coated systems. The changes in coating morphology included the formation of distinctive “square shape precipitates”, increased surface roughness, coating thickening and cracking. The results show that scratch resistance was affected by coating thickness, the sequence of deposited layers and Pt-V phases induced by annealing. The scratch resistance was improved for all coated systems by annealing. However, there is an indication that a large volume fraction of PtV₃ formed at 900 °C/45 min significantly increased the critical load at which the coating failed. This result will be the base for further study on the development of targeted phases to improve the surface characteristics for specific coating applications.     

Effect of Si addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Al–N coating

Ti–Al–N coatings are widely used to prevent the untimely consumption of cutting tools exposed to wear. Increasing requirements on high speed and dry cutting application open up new demands on the quality of wear-protective quaternary or multinary Ti–Al–N based coating materials. Here, we investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Al–N and Ti–Al–Si–N coatings deposited on cemented carbide by cathodic arc evaporation. The formation of nanocomposite nc-TiAlN/a-Si₃N₄ structure by incorporation of Si into Ti–Al–N coating causes a significant increase on hardness from ∼ 35.7 GPa of Ti–Al–N to ∼ 42.4 GPa of Ti–Al–Si–N. Both coatings behave age-hardening during thermal annealing, however Ti–Al–Si–N coating reveal better thermal stability. Therefore, the improved cutting performance of Ti–Al–Si–N coated inserts is obtained compared to Ti–Al–N coated inserts.     

Characterisation of HVOF sprayed Cr3C2-50(Ni20Cr) coating and the influence of binder properties on solid particle erosion behaviour

The coating Cr₃C₂ with 50 wt.% Ni20Cr deposited by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray process was characterized in detail to investigate the effect of annealing on the solid particle erosion behaviour and understand the influence of the binder properties. Systematic characterization of the coating was carried out using electron microscopy (scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA)), X-ray diffraction (XRD), microindentation and nanoindentation techniques. The solid particle erosion tests were done on the as-sprayed coating and coatings annealed at 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C using silica erodent particles. The coefficient of restitution of the coated samples was also measured by WC ball impact tests to simulate dynamic impacts. The as-sprayed coating consisted of primary carbides and binder that was a mixture of amorphous and nanocrystalline phases. Annealing leads to recrystallisation of binder phase and precipitation of secondary carbides. The coating hardness and binder ductility change with annealing temperature. The erosion resistance improves with annealing up to 600 °C. In the as-sprayed coating, the amorphous phase, inter-splat boundaries and the elastic rebound characteristics affect the erosion response. While in the case of the coating annealed at 600 °C, the presence of ductile crystalline binder, fine carbide precipitates and embedment of erodent particles together improve solid particle erosion resistance.     

Development of hard intermetallic coatings on austenitic stainless steel by hot dipping in an Al-Si alloy

The austenitic stainless steel was coated by dipping it into a molten Al-12.4%Si alloy at 765 °C. The effect of immersion times in the range of 60 to 900 s was investigated with respect to the crystalline structure, thickness, and microhardness of the coating. A uniform layer (~ 12 µm) of intermetallic Al₁₂(Fe,Cr)₃Si₂ with hexagonal crystalline structure is formed, irrespective of the immersion time. Incorporation of Si to the coating changes the growth mode of the coating from inwards to outwards, which favours the development of a flat substrate/coating interface. Microhardness of the coating decreases with increasing dipping time, ranging between 850 and 600 HV for the shortest and longest immersion time, respectively. These hardness values are higher than that for the substrate of about 200 HV, irrespective of the immersion time.     

Oxidation protection of gamma-titanium aluminide using glass-ceramic coatings

γ-TiAl intermetallic alloys are presently considered an efficient structural material for advanced turbine blades and aero-engine components due to their various advantages compared to the traditionally used superalloys. However, their poor oxidation resistance at temperatures > 750 °C severely limits their wider application. The present study dealt with the improvement of oxidation resistance of this alloy by applying impervious glass-ceramic coatings by vitreous enameling technique. Results showed that MgO-SiO₂-TiO₂ glass-ceramic coating could offer excellent oxidation resistance to γ-TiAl at 800 °C even up to 100 h with negligible weight gain (~ 0.10 mg/cm²) compared to that of the bare alloy (~ 1.3 mg/cm²). The coatings those were belonging from BaO-MgO-SiO₂, ZnO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ and BaO-SiO₂ systems also extend appreciable improvement in the oxidation resistance of the alloy at 800 °C up to 100 h. At further higher temperature such as at 1000 °C, the ABK-13 and ABK-103 glass-ceramic coatings offered significant protection to the alloy up to 25 h of exposure in air with minimum weight gain (~ 0.34 mg/cm²). However, after that the coated layers started to peel off from the alloy surface.     

Adaption of graded Cr/CrN-interlayer thickness to cemented carbide substrates' roughness for improving the adhesion of HPPMS PVD films and the cutting performance

High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering (HPPMS) techniques jointly with the deposition of a graded Cr/CrN-nanointerlayer on cutting inserts can increase the film adhesion and consequently the tool life. These improvements depend on the roughness of the employed cemented carbide substrates. The investigations described in the present paper intend to explain the effect of Cr/CrN-interlayer thickness and substrate roughness on the coating adhesion and cutting performance. To attain various roughnesses, the applied cemented carbide inserts were superficially treated. These treatments were grinding at a medium roughness level, or grinding with subsequent polishing for enhancing the surface integrity and finally, in all cases, micro-blasting by fine Al₂O₃ grains. After Ar-ion etching, graded Cr/CrN adhesive layers with different thicknesses were deposited by HPPMS technology on the variously pretreated substrates. Subsequently, an approximately 3 μm thick (Ti,Al)N film was deposited by HPPMS PVD on all used inserts. Rockwell C indentations and inclined impact tests were performed to assess qualitatively and quantitatively the films' adhesion. The cutting performance of the coated tools was investigated in milling of 42CrMo4 QT. FEM supported calculations of the developed stresses during the material removal process contributed in explaining the obtained tool wear results. In these calculations, the adhesion, dependent on the substrate roughness characteristics and on the adhesive interlayer thickness, was taken into account. The results revealed that the effectiveness of HPPMS adhesive graded Cr/CrN-nanointerlayer strongly depends on the substrate surface integrity and on the interlayer thickness. Thus, the film adhesion and consequently the cutting performance can be significantly improved if the interlayer thickness is adapted to the substrate roughness.     

CrAlYCN/CrCN nanoscale multilayer PVD coatings deposited by the combined High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering/Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS/UBM) technology

CrAlYCN/CrCN coating combining high hardness (H_p = 36 GPa) and low friction coefficient (µ = 0.42 against Al₂O₃) has been developed for machining of Si containing Al-alloys. The coating was deposited by the combined High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering/Unbalanced Magnetron sputtering, (HIPIMS/UBM) technology. Macroparticle free Cr⁺ ion flux was generated by HIPIMS discharge to sputter clean the substrates prior to the coating deposition. The use of HIPIMS for surface pre treatment resulted in excellent adhesion, scratch test adhesion critical load value of Lc = 55 N on HSS and Lc = 68 N due to the local epitaxial growth and extremely smooth coating surface, Ra = 0.012 μm due to the elimination of growth defects.The coating crystallised in fcc structure with a preferred {220} orientation. XTEM analysis revealed a nanoscale multilayer structure of the coating with carbon segregated at the column boundaries but also vertically to form a lateral phase at the interfaces between the individual nanolayers.Addition of C to CrAlYN/CrN increased the chemical inertness between cutting tool and workpiece material without deteriorating the oxidation resistance of the coating. Thermo gravimetric analysis showed that the temperature for the onset of rapid oxidation was as high as 940 °C.In dry milling of AlSi9Cu1 alloy, CrAlYCN/CrCN coated 8 mm diameter cemented carbide end mills outperformed non coated end mills by factor of 2.5 with effective hindered built up edge formation mechanism.     

Effects of cooling air temperature on cryogenic machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

This paper presents experimental investigations on influence of different coolant strategies such as dry, wet, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and MQL with cooling air on performance in milling of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with uncoated cemented carbide inserts. Cutting force, tool wear, surface roughness and chip morphology are experimentally studied to compare the effects of different cooling air temperatures. The results showed that minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) with cooling air significantly reduces cutting force, tool wear and surface roughness. Unfortunately, MQL (without cooling air) condition cannot produce evident effect on cutting performance, and flaking wear on the flank surface of the insert has been found under this condition. Four different cooling air temperatures are used to investigate the effects of cooling air temperature on the machinability characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Based on the experimental results, MQL with cooling air of −15 °C provides more favourable effects compared to other cooling air temperatures (0 °C, −30 °C,−45 °C). Short chips are produced under MQL with cooling air conditions due to the high velocity of cooling air enhances the chip brittleness for easy chip breaking, and the effective penetration of lubricant to the chip-tool interface results in lower friction. However, due to the dramatic increase in chip hardness at lower temperature, MQL with cooling air environments cannot promote chip curl to some extent.     

Annealing and oxidation study of Ta-Ru hard coatings

Refractory metal alloy coatings have been widely used as protective coatings on glass molding dies. The formation of intermetallic compounds in the coatings inhibits grain growth at high-temperature environment in the mass production of optical components. The current work presents Ta-Ru coatings with a Cr interlayer on cemented carbide substrates and silicon wafers deposited by direct current magnetron co-sputtering at 400 °C. The as-deposited Ta-Ru coatings possessed a hardness of 13-14 GPa and a surface roughness of 1.3-4.0 nm. The annealing treatments were carried out at 600 °C under two vacuum levels of 3 × 10^− 3 and 3 Pa, respectively. After annealing in vacuum at 3 × 10^− 3 Pa, the Ta-Ru coatings showed grain size, hardness, surface roughness and phase stability comparable to those of the as-deposited coatings. While annealing in vacuum at 3 Pa, preferential oxidation of Ta in the Ta-Ru coatings was verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, a variation of the chemical composition in depth was analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy and the internal oxidation zone consisting of a laminated structure was observed by transmission electron microscopy.     

Tialite formation from its quasi-amorphous stoichiometric co-precipitated powder by thermal spray process

In this work, the formation of tialite from powders obtained by the co-precipitation method with inorganic salts was investigated. For the co-precipitation process, a solution of aluminum nitrate (Al(NO₃)₃  9H₂O) and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) in ethyl alcohol was co-precipitated with an increase in ammonium hydroxide base. Phase transformations of the quasi-amorphous dried gel with stoichiometric composition of tialite treated in a muffle furnace and in an atmospheric plasma thermal spray deposition were explored. The effect of calcination thermal treating on the tialite formation was evaluated for different temperatures (400, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1200, 1300, and 1400 °C). The powder was thermally treated by calcination at 600 °C for 6 h prior to the thermal spray process. Dried gel pieces were also calcined at 600 °C for 6 h and ground, the produced powders were thermally sprayed onto a stainless steel substrate and the formed coating was mechanically detached from the substrate and then characterized. It was confirmed that the thermal spray process transformed the quasi-amorphous powders to single tialite phase. The absence of the corundum and rutile phases was attributed to the high heating and cooling rates (~ 10⁶ K/s) supplied by thermal spray processing.     

Investigating the correlation between nano-impact fracture resistance and hardness/modulus ratio from nanoindentation at 25-500 °C and the fracture resistance and lifetime of cutting tools with Ti1−xAlxN (x = 0.5 and 0.67) PVD coatings in milling operations

A novel laboratory technique, nano-impact testing, has been used to test Ti_1−xAl_xN (x = 0.5 and 0.67) PVD coated WC-Co inserts at 25-500 °C. Cutting tool life was studied under conditions of face milling of the structural AISI 1040 steel; the end milling of hardened 4340 steel (HRC 40) and TiAl6V4 alloy. A correlation was found between the results of the rapid nano-impact test and milling tests. When x = 0.67 improved resistance to fracture was found during milling operations and also in the nano-impact test of this coating compared to when x = 0.50. The coating protects the cutting tool surface against the chipping that is typical for cutting operations with intensive adhesive interaction with workpiece materials such as machining of Ti-based alloys. The results give encouragement that the elevated temperature nano-impact test can be used to predict the wear and fracture resistance of hard coatings during milling operations. At 500 °C nanoindentation shows there is a lower H/E_r ratio for the PVD coatings compared to room temperature, consistent with reduced fracture observed at this temperature in the nano-impact test.     

Studies on the development of TZM alloy by aluminothermic coreduction process and formation of protective coating over the alloy by plasma spray technique

TZM alloy is a potential candidate for high temperature structural applications. However, in the preparation of this alloy by conventional melt-casting route, difficulties are encountered in achieving homogenized alloy composition in view of high melting temperature of the alloy and presence of minor alloying components. Therefore, an alternative technique of aluminothermic co-reduction was adopted to prepare TZM alloy of composition, Mo-0.5Ti-0.1Zr-0.02 °C, wt.% by simultaneous reduction of uniformly premixed oxides of MoO₂, TiO₂ and ZrO2 by aluminium in presence of requisite amount of carbon. The as-reduced alloy was further arc melted for consolidation. Since, TZM alloy is by nature highly susceptible to oxidation at elevated temperature in air or oxygen, therefore feasibility of development of silicide type of coating over the synthesized alloy by plasma coating technique was also examined. Silicon powder coated on TZM alloy surface by plasma spray technique was finally converted into MoSi₂ coating by sintering at 1350 ^°C for 2-4 h duration under argon. A double layer coating structure was formed with two distinct phases. The inner thin layer was consisted of Mo₂Si₅ phase (~ 10 μm) followed by thick outer layer of MoSi₂ (~ 150 μm). The coating showed good adhesion strength and stable oxidation with negligible mass gain (10 g/m²) at 1000 ^°C in air.     

Thermal stability of superhard Ti-B-N coatings

Ternary transition-metal boron nitride Ti-B-N offers outstanding hardness and thermal stability, which are increasingly required for wear resistant applications, as the protective coatings are subjected to high temperature, causing thermal fatigue. Ti-B-N coatings with chemical compositions close to the quasibinary TiN-TiB₂ tie line and boron contents below ∼ 18 at.% contain a crystalline supersaturated NaCl structure phase, where B substitutes for N. Annealing above the deposition temperature causes precipitation of TiB₂, which influence dislocation mobility and hence the hardness of TiB_0.40N_0.83 remains at a very high level of ∼ 43 GPa with annealing temperature T_a up to 900 °C. Growth of Ti-B-N coatings with B contents above ∼ 18 at.% results in the formation of nm sized TiN and TiB₂ crystallites embedded in a high volume fraction of disordered boundary layer. The compaction of this disordered phase during annealing results in a hardness increase of TiB_0.80N_0.83 coatings from the as-deposited value of ∼ 37 GPa to ∼ 42 GPa at T_a = 800 °C. Excess B during growth of TiB_2.4 coatings causes the formation of bundles of ∼ 5 nm wide TiB₂ subcolumns encapsulated in a B-rich tissue phase. This nanocolumnar structure is thermally stable up to temperatures of ∼ 900 °C, and consequently the hardness remains at the very high level of ~ 48 GPa, as nucleation and growth of dislocations is inhibited by the nm sized columns. Furthermore, the high cohesive strength of the B-rich tissue phase prevents grain boundary sliding.     

Hot corrosion and oxidation behavior of a novel Pt + Hf-modified γ′-Ni3Al + γ-Ni-based coating

A new type of Pt + Hf-modified γ′-Ni₃Al + γ-Ni-based coating has been developed in which deposition involves Pt electroplating followed by combined aluminizing and hafnizing using a pack cementation process. Cyclic oxidation testing of both Pt + Hf-modified γ′ + γ and Pt-modified β-NiAl coatings at 1150 °C (2102 °F), in air, resulted in the formation of a continuous and adherent α-Al₂O₃ scale; however, the latter developed unwanted surface undulations after thermal cycling. Type I (i.e. 900 °C/1652 °F) and Type II (i.e. 705 °C/1300 °F) hot corrosion behavior of the Pt + Hf-modified γ′ + γ coating were studied and compared to Pt-modified β and γ + β-CoCrAlY coatings. Both types of hot corrosion conditions were simulated by depositing Na₂SO₄ salt on the coated samples and then exposing the samples to a laboratory-based furnace rig. It was found that the Pt + Hf-modified γ′ + γ and Pt-modified β coatings exhibited superior Type II hot corrosion resistance compared to the γ + β-CoCrAlY coating; while the Pt + Hf-modified γ′ + γ and γ + β-CoCrAlY coatings showed improved Type I hot corrosion performance than the Pt-modified β.     

An investigation on the microstructure and oxidation behavior of laser remelted air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings

NiCrAlY bond-coat was coated on Inconel 718 substrate by air plasma spraying (APS) followed by APS ZrO₂-8 wt.%Y₂O₃ as top-coat. Using CO₂ laser of different energy densities, ceramic top-coat surface was remelted. Laser remelting with high energy density (4 J/mm²) produced a dense microstructure over the whole thickness of top-coat, while low energy density (0.67 J/mm²) laser remelting produced a ~ 50 μm thick dense layer on the top-coat surface. It was found that the volume fraction of monoclinic phase decreased from 9% in as-sprayed coating to 4% and 3% after laser remelting with high and low energy density respectively. After isothermal oxidation at 1200 °C for 200 h, the thickness of oxide layer (TGO) in the sample produced by low energy density laser remelting was ~ 5.6 μm, which was thinner than that of oxide layer in as-sprayed (~ 7.6 μm) and high energy density laser remelted (~ 7.5 μm) samples. A uniform and continuous oxide layer was found to develop on the bond-coat surface after low energy density laser remelting. Thicker oxide layer containing Cr₂O₃, NiO and spinel oxides was observed in both as-sprayed and high energy density laser remelted coatings. After cyclic oxidation at 1200 °C for 240 h, the weight gain per unit area of as-sprayed coating was similar to that of high energy density laser remelted coating while a significantly smaller weight gain was found in low energy density laser remelted coating.     

Multilayer oxidation protective coating for C/C composites from room temperature to 1500 °C

To prevent carbon/carbon (C/C) composites from oxidation, a multilayer oxidation resistant coating was prepared. The inner SiC coating was prepared by pack cementation, and the outer SiC-MoSi₂ three-layer coating was obtained by slurry coating using silicon-sol as the caking agent. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to analyze the phase, microstructure and element distribution of the as-prepared coating. The results show that, the as-received multilayer coating has a crack-free structure with the thickness of about 300 μm. It is provided with excellent oxidation resistance from room temperature to 1500 °C in air and can protect C/C composites from oxidation for more than 120 h at 900 °C and more than 110 h at 1500 °C in air. The weight loss of the coated samples during oxidation tests mainly resulted from the oxidation of Mo₅Si₃ and the volatilization of SiO₂ in the coating.     

Wear and oxidation resistance of combustion CVD grown alumina films

Alumina thin films were synthesized on Si (100) and Ni–20Cr substrates using combustion chemical vapor deposition. Aluminum acetylacetonate (0.005 M) dissolved in ethanol was used as the precursor solution. The films deposited at 900 and 1000 °C are found to be θ-alumina and those deposited at 1100 °C to be α-alumina. The scanning electron micrographs showed the films to be made up of crystallites of two different sizes and shapes. The coefficient of friction, of alumina coated Si samples, measured using a tribometer showed high value (~ 0.7) at initial passes and subsequently saturated to low value (~ 0.5) at higher sliding distances. It was observed that the tribological properties, of the films, are not affected significantly by the crystal structure and crystallite size. Oxidation resistance of alumina-coated Ni–20Cr specimens were studied using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer by exposing them to isothermal heating at 1000 °C in 20% O₂–Ar gas mixture. The results indicated that the coated specimens are 18 times more oxidation resistant, at initial stages, compared to uncoated specimens. The resistance slowly dropped to six times, where it reached a saturation value.