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

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

High temperature wear resistance of (TiAl)N PVD coating on untreated and gas nitrided AISI H13 steel with different heat treatments

The wear resistance of a PVD (Ti_0.7Al_0.3)N coating deposited on an as-received and gas nitrided AISI H13 has been examined by using ball-on-disc tests at room temperature and at 600 °C. In order to determine the influence of a previous heat treatment on this type of steel on the wear resistance of the (Ti_0.7Al_0.3)N coating, two commercial heat treatments were employed which gave rise to the same substrate hardness. Surface microhardness measurements have been carried out to determine the load-carrying capacity of the coated systems. In general, the wear behavior was found to be independent of the nature of the heat treatment applied to the substrate prior to the nitriding process but strongly dependent on the testing temperature. At room temperature, there were small variations between the different systems tested, whereas at high temperatures, clear differences were found between them. At 600 °C, a typical temperature that could be achieved during the aluminum extrusion processes, the nitrided H13 steel/(Ti_0.7Al_0.3)N PVD duplex coating shows a satisfactory wear resistance compared to both the nitrided steel and the steel substrate only coated with (Ti_0.6Al_0.4)N, which exhibited the worst performance. The satisfactory wear resistance observed for the duplex coating system at high temperature is mainly a consequence of two different aspects. Firstly, its higher load-carrying capacity due to the existence of a hard nitrided layer, as well as its high H/E ratio. Both parameters allow the presence of higher elastic strains without the failure of the ceramic layer, which would normally occur in the case of TiAlN PVD coatings deposited directly on the AISI H13 steel. Secondly, the intrinsic characteristics of the coating, i.e. its chemical constitution, which allows the formation of a dense oxide mixture inside the wear track that impedes both its further oxidation and the deterioration of the mechanical properties as consequence of nitrogen diffusion.     

Tribological properties of selected PVD coatings when slid against ductile materials

In this paper, a physical vapour deposited (PVD) deposited TiB₂ coating is compared in dry sliding with commercial PVD titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN) and titanium carbonitirde (TiCN) as to frictional properties and tendency of counter material pick-up. The aim is to investigate if the superior behaviour of the TiB₂ coating experienced in severe sliding applications against aluminium alloys can be extended to other materials with a similarly poor tribological characteristics.A new tribological test for sliding contact has been used. The test configuration involves two crossed elongated cylindrical test specimens which are forced to slide axially against each other at a constant sliding speed and a gradually increasing normal load, while recording the friction. The evaluation is performed by correlating the friction history with the width, topography and composition of the sliding tracks as detected by optical and scanning electron microscopy.Coated cemented carbide (CC) test cylinders have been slid against cylinders of a Ti alloy (Ti–6Al–4V), an Al alloy (Al 7075) and Inconel 718. It was shown that the TiB₂ surface displayed superior friction and anti-sticking properties, when tested against the aluminium alloy. Against the Ti and Inconel alloys no major difference between the coatings could be found. Instead, it is concluded that the friction coefficient is determined by the plastic properties of the counter material since a complete transfer layer instantly builds up on the coating.It proved possible to estimate the friction force from the width of the sliding tracks, the Vickers hardness of the counter material and simple plastic considerations. This estimation also verifies the unexpectedly low friction of all coatings against the Ti alloy.     

Wear resistant TiMoN coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering

TiMoN coatings with different Mo concentrations were deposited using a reactive magnetron sputtering technique and characterized by X-ray diffraction, nano-indentation, pin-on-disc testing, SEM/EDS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Mo alloying of TiN coatings generally enhances hardness. When tested in a pin-on-disc test against WC-Co pin, the coefficients of friction of TiMoN coatings were found to decrease with the increase in Mo atomic fraction, with the lowest values (0.4-0.5) being only one-half that of TiN coating (1.03). The underlying mechanism of the Mo effect is the formation of lubricious MoO₃ on the wear track. The combination of low coefficient of friction and enhanced hardness reduces the wear rate of TiMoN coatings to less than 2.5% of the wear rate of TiN coating.     

Friction and wear properties of duplex MAO/CrN coatings sliding against Si3N4 ceramic balls in air, water and oil

It is evident that the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) ceramic coatings often exhibit relatively high friction coefficients as sliding against many mating materials. To reduce the friction coefficient for the MAO coatings, the duplex MAO/CrN coatings were deposited on 2024Al alloy using combined micro-arc oxidation and reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and phase of the duplex coatings were observed and determined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The friction and wear behaviors of the duplex coatings sliding against Si₃N₄ balls in air, water and oil were investigated using a ball-on-disk tribometer. The wear rate of the duplex coating was determined by non-contact optical profilometer and the wear tracks on the duplex coatings were observed by SEM. The results showed the CrN coatings mainly consisted of Cr, CrN and Cr₂N phases. The duplex coatings/Si₃N₄ tribopair exhibited the highest friction coefficient in air, while displayed the lowest friction coefficient in oil. When the normal load and the sliding speed increased, the friction coefficient in air increased from 0.65 to 0.72, whereas decreased from 0.58 to 0.36 in water and 0.20 to 0.08 in oil. The specific wear rates for the duplex coatings in air were higher than those in oil. In comparison to the MAO coatings, the duplex MAO/CrN coatings displayed excellent tribological properties under the same conditions.     

Tribological behaviour of plasma sprayed Al2O3 and TiO2 ceramic hard coatings under dry contact

Plasma sprayed ceramic coatings are used in a number of industries in which surface modification of components to compare tribological properties is important: so hence, are evaluations of their tribological properties. This paper presents a study on the wear behaviour of three ceramic coatings — Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and Al₂O₃-TiO₂combination — in the load and speed ranges of 5 to 50 N, and 0.3 to 10 m/s, respectively, on which few data are available in the literature. The tests were carried out using a standard dry sand rubber wheel abrasion test and a pin-on-disc machine under dry sliding conditions. It was found that a stick-slip effect seems to occur at low sliding speeds, and transition takes place at a sliding speed of around 4 m/s. Of the three ceramic coatings, TiO₂ was found to be the most wear resistant, with the least friction coefficient, although it is less hard than the Al₂O₃ coatings. Scanning electron microscopy of the surface shows evidence of wear mechanisms such as plastic deformation, transfer-film formation, micro cracks, and grain pull-out in the coatings.     

Investigation of antiwear coatings deposited by the pvd process

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

Tribological and structural characterization of a physical vapour deposited TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN multilayer

A physical vapour deposited TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN multilayer was investigated and compared with a PVD TiN monolayer coating in a ball-on-disc test. Wear and friction against a corundum ball were measured as a function of time and sliding velocity. In these experiments, the coefficient of friction remained constant at 0.2 as long as the ball was sliding on TiC or intermidiate Ti(C,N) layers. When the TiN layer was reached, the coefficient of friction became unstable and rose to an average value of 1–1.5, which is characteristic for a TiN/Al₂O₃ contact. Wear rates for the multilayer were found to be three to four times smaller as compared to the reference TiN. The multilayer morphology of the TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN was revealed in a low-angle cross-section resulting from a prolonged ball-on-disc test. In that way, it was shown that the multilayer consisted of nine separate sublayers.     

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.     

Wear resistance and anti-sticking properties of duplex treated forming tool steel

The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of using hard physical vapour deposition (PVD) coatings on forming tools, as well as to determine the influence of plasma nitriding on the load-carrying capacity and wear resistance of coated tool surfaces. A load-scanning test rig was used for evaluation, where duplex treated cold work tool steel samples were loaded against soft austenitic stainless steel and hardened ball bearing steel, respectively. Four different coatings (TiN, TiB₂, TaC and DLC) and two substrate treatments (hardening and plasma nitriding in two different gas mixtures) were included.Plasma nitriding alone significantly improved the friction, wear, and anti-sticking properties of the tool steel. PVD coating, and especially PVD coating of nitrided tool steel further improved the performance. Therefore, from the point of view of tool life as well as work peace surface quality, the DLC coating with its excellent anti-sticking properties and sufficiently good wear resistance represent the best solution for forming tool applications of austenitic stainless steel.     

Functional behaviour of PVD coatings under sliding and rolling stress conditions

Whereas wear-resistant PVD coatings are well established in the field of metalcutting, and the functional and tribological behaviour of these coatings is well known under such conditions, PVD coatings are used only occasionally in mechanical engineering. The reason for this seems to be the lack of information concerning the functional behaviour of these coatings in closed tribosystems. To evaluate new areas of application together with optimised coating compounds, model wear tests were performed under sliding, rolling and slip-rolling stress conditions. In addition, the test parameters, such as sliding speed, load, ambient temperature, and number of revolutions were varied, as were the coating compounds and their thicknesses. The results obtained show that friction and wear of PVD coatings are both strongly influenced by the kind of stress and the test parameters themselves. Coatings that perform well under certain test conditions can break down quickly under some other stress conditions. TiN coatings, for example, which display low friction and wear under sliding friction, fail under rolling conditions very shortly afterwards.     

Sliding wear behaviour of ZrN and (Zr, 12 wt% Hf)N coatings

In the present study, the sliding wear resistances of ZrN and (Zr, 12 wt% Hf)N coatings deposited on a hardened AISI D2 tool steel by arc-physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique were examined by a ball-on-disc wear tester. Alloying of ZrN coating with 12 wt% Hf did not change the hardness significantly, but achieved an improvement on adhesion strength and dry sliding wear resistance against steel (AISI 52100-55HRC) and Al₂O₃ balls.     

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.     

Tribological characteristics of low-pressure plasma-sprayed A12O3 coating from room temperature to 800 °C

The tribological characteristics of low-pressure plasma-sprayed (LPPS) Al₂O₃ coating sliding against alumina ball have been investigated from room temperature to 800 °C. These friction and wear data have been compared quantitatively with those of bulk sintered alumina to obtain a better understanding of wear mechanisms at elevated temperatures. The friction and wear of Al₂O₃ coating show a strong dependence on temperature, changing from a mild to a severe wear regime with the increase of temperature. The coefficient of friction at room temperature is approximately 0.17 to 0.42, depending on applied load. The tribochemical reaction between the coating surface and water vapor in the environment and the presence of the hydroxide film on the Al₂O₃ coating reduce the friction and wear at room temperature as contrasted to those of bulk sintered alumina. At intermediate temperatures, from 400 to 600 °C, the friction and wear behavior of Al₂O₃ coating depends on the inter-granular fracture and pull-out of Al₂O₃ grains. At above 700 °C, formation and deformation of fine grain layer, and abrasive wear in the form of removal of fine alumina grains further facilitate the friction and wear process of Al₂O₃ coating.     

Sliding wear behavior of Fe-Al and Fe-Al/WC coatings prepared by high velocity arc spraying

A comparative study was carried out to investigate the microstructure and tribological behavior of Fe-Al and Fe-Al/WC iron aluminide based coatings against Si₃N₄ under dry sliding at room temperature using a pin-on-disc tribotester. The coatings were prepared by high velocity arc spraying (HVAS) and cored wires. The effect of normal load on friction coefficient and wear rate of the coatings was studied. The microstructure and the worn surfaces of the coatings were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersion spectroscope (EDS). The results showed that, the main phases in both coatings were iron aluminide (Fe₃Al and FeAl) and α. WC/W₂C particles were embedded in the matrix of the composite coating. With adding WC hard particles, the Fe-Al/WC composite coating exhibited higher wear-resistance than Fe-Al coating. But the friction coefficient of both coatings showed little difference. As the load increased, the friction coefficient decreases slightly due to a rise of friction contact temperature and larger areas of oxide film formation on the worn surface, which act as a solid lubricant. Increasing load causes the maximum shear stress occurring at the deeper position below the surface, thereby aggravating the wear. The coating surface is subjected to alternately tensile stress and compression stress during sliding, and the predominant wear mechanism of the coatings appears to be delamination.     

Friction and wear behaviour of hard coatings in vibrating contacts

The friction and wear behaviour of thin hard coatings, such as TiN and the promising class of C-based coatings (a-C, a-C:H, and diamond for example), are compared under oscillating and reciprocating sliding conditions. The typical effects of test parameters, such as stroke, frequency, normal force, relative humidity and test duration, are described as a basis for the proper selection of test conditions or, conversely, for the selection of suitable coatings for particular practical applications. Friction and wear data from over 1000 vibrating tests using thin hard coatings against 100Cr6 and against Al₂O₃ have been compiled in a database. This allows easy manipulation and comparison of test results. Using selection criteria and filter procedures (e. g., lifetime of coatings, friction limits, and critical wear rate), suitable coating systems for different test conditions can be chosen from the database. The effects of test parameters on friction and wear behaviour and changes have anyway to be known for meaningful tribotesting, as well as for the selection of coatings.     

Sliding-Wear Behavior of TiN- and CrN-Coated 2024 Aluminum Alloy Against an Al2O3 Ball

Dry sliding friction and wear behavior of TiN and CrN deposited on 2024 aluminum alloy by arc ion plating was investigated using the ball-on-disk wear test. The effects of normal load and ceramic coating on the friction coefficient and wear-resistance of 2024 aluminum alloy were studied. The worn surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that wear volume increases while the friction coefficient decreases with an increase in normal load. The wear resistance of CrN is higher than that of TiN. The wear mechanism of TiN-coated 2024 Al is related to the oxidation of TiN coating and plastic deformation of 2024 Al. Conversely, the wear mechanism of CrN-coated 2024 Al is related to the fatigue fracture of the coating, which was affected by residual stress and plastic deformation of 2024 Al.     

Micro-abrasion wear testing of triode plasma diffusion and duplex treated Ti–6Al–4V alloy

In this paper micro-abrasion wear testing is used to evaluate the wear resistance of triode plasma diffusion-treated, single-layered TiN-, CrAlN-, and WC/C-coated and duplex-diffusion and coated Ti–6Al–4V under uniform three-body rolling abrasion. Nanoindentation, Knoop microhardness, mechanical surface profilometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, were used to characterise the surfaces under investigation. Optimum testing conditions for rolling abrasion were established by varying the test parameters and resultant severity of contact. Very low normal loads and high volume fractions of particles in the abrasive slurry are necessary to obtain predictable and reproducible results. Relatively coarse SiC abrasive particles, having a mean diameter of around 3 μm, appear more suitable for micro-abrasion testing of the samples investigated, compared to finer Al₂O₃ particles. Problems associated with the measurement of the scar volume and subsequent calculation of the wear rate for hard coatings deposited on relatively soft metals like titanium are identified, and suitable testing and measurement techniques are suggested. Three-dimensional wear scar maps generated by mechanical stylus profilometry were used to measure the wear volumes. Under the test conditions used, wear coefficients can be determined from perforating and non-perforating tests, although perforating tests provide more consistent results. Triode plasma diffusion treatments, plasma-assisted (PA) PVD TiN and PAPVD CrAlN can reduce the specific wear rate of Ti–6Al–4V, while PACVD-based WC/C coatings do not provide suitable protection against abrasive wear. The combination of triode plasma oxynitriding diffusion treatments and PVD coatings to create duplex treatments can also lead to further reductions in the coating wear coefficient when compared to non-duplex coatings deposited on non-pretreated substrates.     

Sliding wear behaviour of Zinc–Nickel alloy electrodeposits

The sliding wear behaviour of zinc–nickel electrodeposited coatings on mild steel substrates was investigated using a spherical pin-on-disc apparatus. The pin materials were alumina and hardened steel. The composition of the coatings was the following: 86 wt% zinc–14 wt% nickel. The friction coefficient of zinc–nickel coating against alumina counter spheres was found to be higher than that against hardened steel counter spheres. The weight loss of zinc–nickel coating after sliding against hardened steel counter spheres was found to be lower than that against alumina counter spheres. The main wear mechanism of the zinc–nickel coating sliding against stainless steel was noted to be severe shearing of the surface layers of the coating due to the ploughing action of the steel pins. For the wear experiments of zinc–nickel coatings against alumina spheres, a surface delamination mechanism is proposed to be the predominant wear mechanism of the coatings.     

Proper coating selection for improved galling performance of forming tool steel

The aim of the present work was to investigate and compare different hard coatings as to the tendency for work material adhesion and galling properties when applied on forming tool steel and sliding against different work materials. The surface coatings included were PVD deposited TiN, TiB₂, VN, TaC and DLC coatings. They were all applied to cold work tool steel. Tribological evaluation was carried out in a load-scanning test rig, with the normal load being gradually increased during each test from 100 to 1300 N (1-3.5 GPa). The coated steel was tested against austenitic stainless steel and alloys of aluminium and titanium.This investigation clearly indicates that work material adhesion and galling performance of coated forming tool steel greatly depends on the type of work material. In the case of stainless steel, carbon-based coatings provide the best protection against the work material transfer, while forming of aluminium and titanium alloys, requires nitride type coatings, such as TiN.