Evaluating the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of DLC Nanocoated Aluminium 5051 Using RF Sputtering

Abstract

The diamond-like carbon- (DLC-) coating technique is used in the sliding parts of automotive engines, among other applications, to reduce friction and wear. In this work, DLC has been coated on the Aluminium 5051 sample to assess the mechanical and tribological properties. A sputtering deposition mechanism is used, and the DLC is coated using a graphite target. The developed DLC coatings are tested for adhesion strength, hardness, chemical composition using XRD, and wear behaviour. The developed DLC thin films have considerably increased the wear behaviour of the Aluminium 5051 sample and have fulfilled the objective of this study. The XRD data indicated the presence of amorphous carbon in the coating with a threefold increase to the hardness of the naked aluminium. This study provides insight into improving the aluminium wear resistance by developing a considerably hard coating.