Residual stresses in TiN, DLC and MoS2 coated surfaces with regard to their tribological fracture behaviour

Thin hard coatings on components and tools are used increasingly due to the rapid development in deposition techniques, tribological performance and application skills. The residual stresses in a coated surface are crucial for its tribological performance. Compressive residual stresses in PVD deposited TiN and DLC coatings were measured to be in the range of 0.03-4 GPa on steel substrate and 0.1-1.3 GPa on silicon. MoS₂ coatings had tensional stresses in the range of 0.8-1.3 on steel and 0.16 GPa compressive stresses on silicon. The fracture pattern of coatings deposited on steel substrate were analysed both in bend testing and scratch testing. A micro-scale finite element method (FEM) modelling and stress simulation of a 2 μm TiN-coated steel surface was carried out and showed a reduction of the generated tensile buckling stresses in front of the sliding tip when compressive residual stresses of 1 GPa were included in the model. However, this reduction is not similarly observed in the scratch groove behind the tip, possibly due to sliding contact-induced stress relaxation. Scratch and bending tests allowed calculation of the fracture toughness of the three coated surfaces, based on both empirical crack pattern observations and FEM stress calculation, which resulted in highest values for TiN coating followed by MoS₂ and DLC coatings, being K_C = 4-11, about 2, and 1-2 MPa m^1/2, respectively. Higher compressive residual stresses in the coating and higher elastic modulus of the coating correlated to increased fracture toughness of the coated surface.     

Finite element analysis of coating adhesion failure in pre-existing crack field

Abstract

The influence of a pre-existing crack field on coating adhesion failure in a steel surface coated with a 2 μm thick titanium nitride (TiN) coating was investigated by finite element method modelling and simulation. The stress and strain fields were determined in contact conditions with a spherical diamond tip sliding over the coated surface at a loading of 8 N. One crack in or at the coating increased the maximum tensile stresses with six times from 82 to 540 MPa when the crack was vertical through the coating or L shaped and with nine times when the crack was horizontal at the coating/substrate interface. A simulated multicrack pattern relaxed the tensile stresses compared to single cracks. The results indicate that a cracked coated surface needs to have about five to nine times higher adhesive and cohesive bonds to resist the same loading without crack growth compared to a crack free surface. For optimal coated surface design, the strength of the adhesive bonds between the coating and the substrate in the vertical direction needs to be 50% higher than the cohesive bonds within the coating and the substrate in the horizontal direction. The first crack is prone to start at the top of the coating and grows vertically down to coating/substrate interface, and there it stops due to the bigger cohesion within the steel material. After this, there are two effects influencing that the crack will grow in the lateral direction. One is that steel cohesion is normally bigger than the coating/interface adhesion, and the second is that there are higher tensile stresses in the horizontal than in the vertical cracks. Several vertical cracks can stop the horizontal crack growth due to stress relaxation.     

Friction, wear and material transfer of sintered polyimides sliding against various steel and diamond-like carbon coated surfaces

Polyimide cylinders are slid under 50 N normal load and 0.3 m/s sliding velocity against carbon steel (R_a=0.2 and 0.05 μm), high-alloy steel (R_a=0.05 μm), diamond-like carbon (DLC, R_a=0.05 μm) and diamond-like nanocomposite (DLN, R_a=0.05 μm). Only for a limited range of test parameters, the friction of polyimide/DLN is lower than for polyimide/steel, while polyimide shows higher wear rates after sliding against DLN compared to steel counterfaces. The DLN coating shows slight wear scratches, although less severe than on DLC-coatings that are worn through thermal degradation. Therefore, also friction against DLC-coatings is high and unstable. Calculated bulk temperatures for steel and DLN under mild sliding conditions remain below the polyimide transition temperature of 180 °C so that other surface characteristics explain low friction on DLN counterfaces, as surface energy, structural compatibility and transfer behaviour. Friction is initially determined through adhesion and it is demonstrated that higher surface energy provides higher friction. After certain sliding time, different polyimide transfer on each counterface governs the tribological performance. Polyimide and amorphous DLC structures are characterised by C–C bonds, showing high structural compatibility and easy adherence of wear debris on the coating. However, it consists of plate-like transfer particles that act as abrasives and deteriorate the polyimide wear resistance. In sliding experiments with high-alloy steel, wear debris is washed out of the contact zone without formation of a transfer film. Transfer consists of island-like particles for smooth carbon steel and it forms a more homogeneous transfer film on rough carbon steel. The latter thick and protective film is favourable for low wear rates; however, it causes higher friction than smooth counterfaces.     

Influence of detonation gun sprayed alumina coating on AA 6063 samples under cyclic loading with and without fretting

The influence of detonation gun sprayed alumina coating on Al–Mg–Si alloy (AA 6063) test samples subjected to cyclic loading with and without fretting was studied in the present work. Coated samples were grounded to have coatings of two different thickness values, 40 and 100 μm. Both 40- and 100-μm-thick coated specimens experienced almost the same but slightly higher friction force compared with uncoated samples. Under plain fatigue loading, 100 μm coated specimens exhibited inferior lives due to the presence of lower surface compressive residual stress compared with uncoated and 40-μm-thick coated samples. Under fretting fatigue loading, uncoated specimens exhibited inferior lives compared with coated samples owing to the very low hardness of the uncoated specimens (80 against 1020 HV_0.2). The reason for the superior fretting fatigue lives of 40-μm-thick coated samples compared with 100-μm-thick coated samples was the presence of relatively higher surface compressive residual stress in 40-μm-thick coated specimens.     

Effects of substrate surface finish and substrate material on durability of thermally sprayed WC cermet coating in rolling with sliding contact

In this study, using a two-roller testing machine, the authors examined the surface durability of thermally sprayed WC-Cr-Ni cermet coating in lubricated rolling with sliding contact conditions. The coating was formed onto the axially ground, blasted and circumferentially ground roller specimens made of a thermally refined carbon steel or an induction hardened carbon steel by means of the high energy type flame spraying (Hi-HVOF) method. The WC cermet coated roller finished to a mirror-like condition was mated with the carburized steel roller without coating having a surface roughness of Ry=3.05.0 μm. In the experiments, a maximum Hertzian stress of P_H=0.6 or 0.8 GPa was applied for the thermally refined carbon steel roller and P_H=1.4 GPa was applied for the induction hardened carbon steel roller in line contact condition. As a result, it was found that in the case of induction hardened steel substrate, the coated roller generally exhibits a long life without any serious damage and the surface durability is hardly affected by the substrate surface finish, while in the case of thermally refined steel substrate, the durability of coated roller is lowered and the life to flaking is very short particularly when the substrate surface is circumferentially ground and the mating surface is rough. The surface durability of coated roller was also compared with the durability of steel roller without coating. Finally, in order to discuss the durability of coated roller, the elastic-plastic behavior of the subsurface layer under repeated rolling with sliding contact was analyzed using a finite element method (FEM).     

Ni-P-Al2O3复合涂层划痕试验中的表面裂纹分析

为了揭示Ni-P-Al2O3复合涂层的失效机理,对Ni-P-Al2O3复合涂层进行划痕试验和划痕过程的有限元模拟。划痕试验表明在Ni-P-Al2O3复合涂层的划痕表面上产生了一定间隔距离的横向表面裂纹。划痕过程的有限元模拟揭示在划痕过程的不同阶段涂层表面和界面上应力分布规律,揭示涂层表面裂纹产生的模式和形成的机理。划痕过程分为划针尖端压入涂层表面、在涂层表面上滑动和从涂层表面升高等3个阶段。前两个阶段由于划针尖端对涂层表面的作用,在涂层表面形成划痕沟槽,引起涂层表面产生裂纹。应力分析表明在划痕过程中涂层表面裂纹形成有两种方式。第一种方式是首先在涂层界面产生裂纹,然后裂纹向表面扩展形成表面裂纹;第二种方式是涂层表面直接形成表面裂纹。表面裂纹是最大拉应力引起的,因此,表面裂纹是第一型裂纹。划针尖端从涂层表面升高后在涂层中留下了较大的残余应力,最大残余拉伸应力是出现在接触中心之下的界面上的第一残余主应力。这些结果将为涂层设计和应用提供依据。     

The basic study about the effect of single point grinding on the bending strength of brittle material

Single point grinding was investigated by using a sliding indentation apparatus. Sharp indenter sliding against brittle solid produces a scratch with a median crack. The size of the crack depends on the applied indenter load and the sliding speed. The effect of the crack size and its orientation on bending strength of glass is investigated experimentally. It is shown that the tested glass has high bending strength when the indenter load is low, bending direction is parallel to the scratch, and sliding speed is low. The results of bending test are predictable by fracture mechanics analysis including residual stress effect. This study makes it possible to understand the influence of grinding conditions on the bending strength of ground ceramics.     

Surface stresses in coated steel surfaces—influence of a bond layer on surface fracture

Thin hard coatings in the thickness range of only a few micrometers deposited by physical vapour deposition (PVD) on components or tools can improve the friction and wear properties by several orders of magnitude. A 2 μm thick TiN (E=300 GPa) coating on a high-speed steel substrate with a bond layer at the interface between the coating and the substrate was modelled by micro-level three-dimensional finite-element method (3D FEM) in order to optimise a coated surface with regard to coating fracture. Both compliant low modulus (E=100 GPa) and stiff high modulus (E=500 GPa) bond layers at the coating/substrate interface of 200 and 500 nm thickness were investigated. First principal stresses were simulated for scratch test geometry in the load range of 7.5-15 N. Very high stress concentrations of above 5700 MPa tensile stresses were observed in the bond layer just behind the contact zone for the stiffer bond layer. The stiff bond layer generated 5 times higher tensile stress maxima compared to the compliant bond layer. There was approximately 3.5 times larger strain in the compliant bond layer compared to the stiff bond layer. The general coating design advice based on this exercise is that when a bond layer is used e.g. for coating/substrate adhesion improvement should the bond layer be less stiff than the coating not to generate high and critical tensile stresses. The thickness of the bond layer may vary and is not critical with respect to generated stresses in the surface.     

Effect of friction cycles on wear particle generation of carbon nitride coating against a spherical diamond

The in-situ observations of wear particle generation of carbon nitride coating on silicon repeatedly sliding against a spherical diamond have been studied in terms of the critical friction cycles and normal loads. An environmental scanning electron microscope (E-SEM), in which a pin-on-disk tribotester was installed, has in-situ provided direct evidence of when and how the wear particle generation do occur during the repeated sliding of carbon nitride coating against a spherical diamond. The in-situ observations of non-conductive carbon nitride coating are therefore available free from surface charging with controllable relative humidity. The repeated sliding tests at a sliding speed of 50 μm/s have been carried out with the purpose of observing the ‘No wear particle generation’ region when varying normal load from 10 to 250 mN. It appears that until 20 friction cycles, the maximum Hertzian contact pressure P_max for ‘No wear particle generation’ can be improved from 1.39 Y to 1.53 Y if silicon is coated by carbon nitride with a thickness of 10 nm, where Y is defined as the yield strength of silicon. The applicable enlargement of the ‘No wear particle generation’ region of carbon nitride coating has therefore been comparatively discussed with the silicon substrate from the view points of the friction coefficient and the specific wear rate. The mode transition maps have also been summarized for the repeated sliding of carbon nitride coating in terms of ‘No wear particle generation’, ‘Wear particle generation by microcutting’ and ‘Wear particle generation by microcutting and microfracturing’ three typical modes.     

Subsurface deformation and damage accumulation in aluminum–silicon alloys subjected to sliding contact

The study of plastic deformation and damage accumulation below the contact surfaces is important in order to understand the dry sliding wear behaviour of aluminum alloys. Experimental evidence exists for the nucleation of voids and microcracks around second phase particles in the material layers adjacent to the contact surface. Propagation of these cracks at a certain depth below the surface may lead to the creation of long, thin plate-like wear debris particles. This work studied the deformation processes during sliding wear by means of metallographic observations of subsurface layers in an Al–7% Si (A356 Al) alloy and by finite element analyses. Specifically, the accumulation of subsurface stresses and strains was investigated, using a coupled structural-thermal finite element model based on the Voce-type exponential stress–strain relationship obtained from the sliding wear tests. Additionally, temperature and strain rate effects were taken into account using a constitutive equation based on Johnson–Cook and Cowper–Symonds models.Accordingly during sliding, the flow stress in subsurface layers increased rapidly and reached a saturation stress after a finite number of sliding contacts. The variation of hydrostatic pressure for different loading conditions was also determined as a function of sliding passes: as the sliding process progressed from the first to the seventh contacts, the hydrostatic pressure at the surface increased from 1150 to 1300 MPa. A total temperature increase of 45 K occurred at the surface after the seventh sliding contact. A debris formation model was proposed in which the presence of a maximum damage gradient at critical depth was considered. The model showed that, with a sliding velocity of 10 m/s, and a normal load of 150 N per unit thickness in mm, the material location where the maximum rate of damage occurred corresponded to a normalized depth (depth/counterface diameter) of 0.060. Increasing the load to 250 N/mm caused an increase in the critical depth of damage (a normalized depth of 0.085). Comparisons with the experimental subsurface crack observations indicate that the proposed damage rate calculations provide a good estimation of the subsurface crack propagation depth.     

Palliatives in fretting: A dynamical approach

Fretting damages are connected to numerous aspects like friction, wear, contact mechanics, fatigue and material sciences. Its quantification also requests to consider the loading history as well as the sliding condition. Based on a “fretting sliding” approach, and considering fretting wear test conditions, various palliative solutions have been investigated. Shot peening treatment, introducing compressive residual stresses, appears pertinent against crack propagation but ineffective against crack nucleation due to the activation of surface relaxation phenomena. Hard thin coatings present stable residual stresses independently of the sliding conditions. However, they only delay the crack nucleation process, when the coating is worn through, cracking phenomena are activated. To quantify the coating endurance against wear, an energy density approach has been developed. The stability of this approach has been confirmed regarding the contact size effect and illustrated through the analysis of synergic interaction between soft thick coating and solid lubricant.     

The detection of subsurface zones in aluminium-based alloys 2017A and 6101A using a positron annihilation technique

This paper presents positron lifetime studies of the subsurface region in aluminium-based alloys 2017A and 6101A, the surfaces of which were exposed to dry sliding. In the case of the 2017A alloy, the total range of the subsurface zone below the worn surface detected using the positron annihilation technique was larger than 120 μm and this value was hardly affected by load and sliding distance. For the 6101A alloy, the subsurface zone ranged from 30 to 500 μm and depended on the applied load and only to some extent on the sliding distance. The obtained results are significantly different from the results achieved for pure aluminium, thus alloying has considerable effect on the subsurface zone formation. The positron lifetime depth distribution characterizing the subsurface zone was correlated with the microhardness profile.     

The study of the adhesion of a TiN coating on steel and titanium alloy substrates using a multi-mode scratch tester

A titanium nitride (TiN) coating was deposited by magnetron sputter ion plating onto steel and titanium alloy polished substrates. The adhesion of the coating on each substrate material was investigated using a newly developed multimode scratch tester. Progressive loading scratch tests, constant load scratch tests, multiple scratch tests in the same track and indentation tests were all performed. It was shown that the modified scratch tester can be used to identify not only coating detachment during progressive load scratch tests, but also other failure events such as cracking and cohesive damage to the coatings. By using the additional modes of operation, it was possible to study the fracture mechanisms in more detail i.e. chipping in the scratch track was cohesive for the TiN coated steel and adhesive for the TiN coated Ti alloy.     

Study of plowing and friction at the surfaces of plastic deformed metals

Experimental and analytical investigations of plowing and friction were conducted at the surfaces of well-polished lead, aluminum, copper, nickel, molybdenum, and tungsten to study the mechanism of the load/penetration dependency. The experimental tests were performed with a Nano-Indenter XP of MTS and a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM), Nanoscope IIIa of Digital Instruments. In addition to make indentation and measure the hardness and Young’s modulus, the indenter was used to make scratches at the surface of metals under different normal load while the penetration depth and frictional force encountered during the scratching were recorded. The SPM, operated mostly in the contact mode, was used to examine the scratch profile. Under the test conditions, plastic deformation dominated at the surfaces of the metals. An analytical model was established to express plastically deformed contacts, based on plowing of a conical-shaped indenter with a hemispherical tip at a plastic deformed surface. Penetration depth and scratched volume were calculated, which is in good agreement with experimental observation. The frictional coefficient μ was also calculated with the model, which accounted for plowing as well as the adhesion force between the indenter and surface. Beside fair agreement of experimental data and calculated values on μ under the loads applied, the model indicated a dramatic rise in friction coefficient under very low loads, which was not observed in the tests. The discrepancy was discussed, and it was believed that the dramatic increase in μ is for the calculated μ and may be due to the assumed dominant contribution of adhesion force in actual contact load with decreasing external load, and it appears only the adhesion energy Δγ is significant. The actual adhesion energy Δγ between our diamond indenter and metal surface in our test condition might be smaller than the value used in calculation.     

Effect of hard and stiff overlay coatings on the strength of surfaces in repeated sliding

Most work on the strength of coated surfaces has assumed that there are no residual stresses and that the load is applied only once. Both these assumptions are incorrect. The manufacturing process itself may develop large residual stresses in the surface and repeated sliding causes the load to be applied many times, leading to the development of residual stresses. These residual stresses are protective in nature so that a load which causes yielding in the first pass may be supported purely elastically in the steady state. The load limit for elastic steady state is known as the shakedown limit and is the rational design criterion in bearing industries. In the present paper, the effect of coating thickness, coating stiffness and the friction coefficient on the shakedown limit has been investigated and the results are presented in the form of non-dimensional maps.     

Characterisation of DLC coating adherence by scratch testing

In order to characterize the adherence of DLC coatings (Diamond Like Carbon), scratch testing was performed on a unit equipped with sensors for normal and tangential forces, and an acoustic detector to detect the nucleation and the propagation of cracks. The system is also equipped with a microscope permitting observation of each event on the scratch according to the friction tangential force signal or the acoustic signal. The local microscopic observation allows identification of the damage with respect to the normal load. The test was performed with a Rockwell C indenter at the relative displacement speed, v=10 mm/min under a progressive normal load from 5 to 55 N.Coating failure appears in various modes, particularly the following: propagation of the cracks along the longitudinal edges of the scratch; propagation in front of the indenter; rupture along the maximum principal stress lines; and, detachment in the subsurface by shearing of the coating. The microscopic analysis of the evolution of the scratch under a progressive normal load permits identification of the various traces and the damage mechanisms of the coating.In this study, experimental results are shown for the scratch tests on bulk glass and DLC coating. Various modes of crack initiation, damage and rupture of these materials according to the critical normal load are presented. The analysis of the contact stress field distribution in bulk glass enables identification of the crack initiation and its propagation in the coating.     

The subsurface zone in magnesium alloy studied by positron annihilation techniques

This paper presents the positron lifetime and Doppler broadening of annihilation line studies of the subsurface region in a magnesium-based alloy which was exposed to dry sliding. The total range of the subsurface zone below the worn surface detected using these techniques was lower than 100 μm and was hardly affected by the applied load and sliding distance. The obtained results are significantly different from the results achieved for pure magnesium, thus alloying has considerable effect on the subsurface zone formation. The positron lifetime profile of the subsurface region was well correlated with the microhardness profile. The significant result was that the weak long-lived component indicated ortho-positronium formation has been found at the depth lower than 30 μm. This indicates the formation of voids below the worn surface.     

Durability of chromium plating under dry sliding conditions

Experimental data are presented to show that engineering chromium plating on cast iron fails catastrophically after a given number of sliding cycles depending upon the applied load and the coating thickness. The failure mechanism involves the initiation of cracks in the chromium both at its sliding surface and at the coating-substrate interface adjacent to graphite flakes. The cracks propagate through the coating to give fracture and mechanical breakdown of the coating. The use of durability limit curves to identify ‘fail-safe’ conditions is discussed.     

Critical load for wear particle generation in carbon nitride coatings by single sliding against a spherical diamond

The ‘critical load' for wear particle generation of carbon nitride coatings sliding against a spherical diamond under a linearly increasing load has been examined in situ in relation to different nitrogen incorporation conditions, i.e. assisted N ion acceleration energy and N ion beam current density, and different coating thickness. An environmental scanning electron microscope (E-SEM), in which a pin-on-disk tribotester was installed, has provided direct evidence in situ of when, how and where wear particle generation occurs during the sliding of carbon nitride coatings against a spherical diamond. The in-situ examination of non-conductive carbon nitride coatings are available in E-SEM free from surface charging with controllable relative humidity. The sliding tests under linearly increasing load up to 300 mN at a sliding speed of 10 μm/s have been carried out with the purpose of measuring the ‘critical load' for wear particle generation in a similar way to the traditional macro scratch testing. However, instead of the ‘critical load', the critical maximum Hertzian contact pressure P_max will also be used in the following for better understanding. Based on the systematic study of seven combinations of nitrogen incorporation parameters and five kinds of thickness (0, 10, 50, 100 and 200 nm), the applicable range of P_max for wear particle generation can be increased from 1.6Y to 1.831.92Y or to 1.801.89Y, where Y is defined as the yield strength of silicon of 7 GPa, by coating carbon nitride onto silicon with changing nitrogen incorporation conditions of ion acceleration energy and ion current density, or varing coating thickness from 10 to 200 nm. It also appears that the observed wear particle generation of carbon nitride coatings was associated with a failure initiated in the silicon substrate rather than within the carbon nitride coating or at the coating–substrate interface in the light of both the empirical identification and the theoretical discussion.     

Failure mode maps in the thin film scratch adhesion test

The scratch test has been used to assess thin coating adhesion for some time now. In this test a diamond indenter is drawn across the coated surface under an increasing load (either stepwise or continuous) until at some load, termed the critical load, L_c a well-defined failure event occurs; if this failure event represents coating detachment then the critical load can be used as a qualitative measure of coating-substrate adhesion. However, it is well known that a range of possible failure modes can occur and only some of these are dependent on adhesion. Other failure modes which depend on plastic deformation and fracture within the coating, rather than any adhesive failure at the coating substrate interface, may be just as useful in the assessment of coating quality particularly for tribological applications. In this paper the load regimes in which the main adhesion-related failure modes (spallation and buckling) occur as a function of coating thickness will be presented for thermally grown oxide and sputtered nitride coatings. The origin of the observed failure modes and the use of the scratch test to assess coating/substrate adhesion in a more quantitative fashion is discussed in the light of these observations.