Abrasive, hydroabrasive, and erosion wear behaviour of nanostructured (Ti,Al)N-Cu and (Ti,Al)N-Ni coatings

• Published in: Surface & coatings technology Vol. 338; pp. 1 - 13
• Main Authors: Belov, D.S., Blinkov, I.V., Sergevnin, V.S., Smirnov, N.I., Volkhonskii, A.O., Bondarev, A.V., Lobova, T.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 25.03.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Abrasion; Abrasive erosion; Abrasive wear; Abrasives; Adhesion tests; Aluminum; Arc deposition; Cathodic coating (process); Ceramic coatings; Ceramics; Cermets; Coating; Coefficient of friction; Columnar structure; Copper; Deformation resistance; Elastic deformation; Erosion; Fracture toughness; Hydroabrasive; Mechanical properties; Metal ceramic; Nanostructure; Nanostructured materials; Nickel coatings; Plastic deformation; Protective coatings; Soil erosion; Substrates; Tribology; Wear; Wear resistance; Metal ceramic; Nanostructure; Coating; Hydroabrasive; Wear; Erosion
• ISSN: 0257-8972; 1879-3347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2018.01.066

In this work, the wear resistance and fracture characteristics of (Ti,Al)N-Cu, (Ti,Al)N-Ni, and (Ti,Al)N coatings deposited onto a carbide substrate by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition method were investigated comparatively under various loading and friction conditions. The (Ti,Al)N-Cu and (Ti,Al)N-Ni metal-ceramic coatings showed an equiaxial structure with a ceramic phase grain size of about 15–20 nm. The coatings showed a hardness of about 50 GPa and maintained their fracture toughness (the relative work of plastic deformation was ~65%). The (Ti,Al)N ceramic coating showed a columnar structure having elements with a diameter of about 120 nm. This coating exhibited a hardness of about 27 GPa and was characterized by a significantly lower fracture toughness (the relative work of plastic deformation was ~45%). The tribological properties of these coatings were examined at 20 and 500 °C. It was found that the metal-ceramic coatings showed significantly lower friction coefficient values (~0.56 and 0.61) than the ceramic coatings (~0.68 and 0.70). The fracture pattern of the metal-ceramic coatings was obtained by simulating their abrasive wear during a scratch test. Complete abrasion of the coatings was not observed until 90 N. Under similar tests, the (Ti,Al) N coating showed adhesive destruction by the separation of large fragments from the substrate. Complete coating wear was observed at a load of ~70 N. The erosion of the coatings during hydroabrasive treatment under multicycle impact loading was investigated. It was found that the nanostructured (Ti,Al) N-Cu and (Ti,Al)N-Ni coatings were 1.5 and 2 times less susceptible to wear than the (Ti,Al) N coating, respectively. The wear characteristics of the coatings were analysed on the basis of their structures and physical and mechanical properties, including their H/E and H3/E2 parameters, which denote the resistance of a material to elastic and plastic deformation respectively. •(Ti,Al,)N-Cu/Ni coatings with different Cu and Ni contents were deposited.•(Ti,Al,)N-Cu/Ni coatings are characterized by high resistance to abrasive wear.•(Ti,Al,)N-Cu/Ni durability was 3–4 fold as high as that of the (Ti,Al)N coating.•Cu/Ni-containing nitride coatings exhibit absence of complete wearing up to ~90 N.•(Ti,Al)N–Cu/Ni coatings perform as materials with high ductility and safety factor.