On the Reduction of Residual Stresses in Plasma-Vacuum-Deposited Coatings

Residual stresses in a plasma-vacuum-deposited titanium-nitride coating, which vary between –780 and –2800 MPa depending on the coating thickness, have been determined. It has been shown that deposition of a pure-chromium sublayer and substitution of a discontinuous (discrete) coating for a continuous one allow residual stresses to be reduced appreciably. It has been found that residual compression stresses can affect favorably the characteristics of strength of both the coating itself and the coated part as a whole.