The Vacuum-plasma Nanotechnologies Avinit

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports the development of the Avinit vacuum plasma nanotechnology for applying multicomponent functional coatings and for modifying surfaces in order to improve the operational characteristics of materials, components, and parts for the aviation and technical purposes. Underlying the technology are the processes of atomic-ion surface modification and the formation of nanolayer coatings under the influence of the nonequilibrium low-temperature plasma. Special features of the Avinit nanotechnology include · integrated application use of vacuum plasma processes activated by the nonequilibrium low-temperature plasma; · the transition to a nano range to apply multi-component multilayer and nanolayer coatings with predefined characteristics. In order to apply functional multilayer composite coatings, a technological vacuum-plasma automated cluster Avinit was devised and designed, which makes it possible to implement comprehensive methods for applying coatings (plasma-chemical CVD, vacuum-plasma PVD), the processes of ion saturation and ion surface treatment), combined within a single technological cycle. The technological parameters of multilayer coating application processes have been refined in the "metal-nitrogen" and "metal-carbon" systems. Experimental results of the metal-physical and tribological studies confirm the possibility of low-temperature (< 200 ºC) application of wear-resistant high-hard Avinit coatings based on metal nitrides and carbides under the modes that allow for good adhesion to the substrate materials (steel with precision surface Ra=0.025 µm) without reducing the strength characteristics of steel and without deterioration in the purity class of the resulting surface. A new technique for strengthening and improving the wear resistance of articles made of steel and alloys by the Avinit N plasma precision nitriding in high-density plasma of nitrogen and argon has been developed. In this case, the formation process of a nitrided layer is significantly intensified, the hardness and wear resistance of parts increase without warping while maintaining the original geometric dimensions of the nitrided parts (precision nitriding "to size" with an accuracy of 1‒2 µm). The reported results of the metal-physical and tribological studies are the basis for choosing coating materials to improve the efficiency of working surfaces of precision friction pairs in the "coating-steel" and "coating-coating" systems. The paper gives examples of the industrial implementation of the Avinit technologies to increase the resource and reliability of aviation-technical articles in assembly and engine engineering.