INFLUENCE OF NITROGEN FLOW RATE ON FRICTION COEFFICIENT AND SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF TiN COATINGS DEPOSITED ON TOOL STEEL USING ARC METHOD

Abstract

In the present study, the effect of various N 2 gas flow rates on friction coefficient and surface roughness of TiN -coated D2 tool steel was examined by a commercially available cathodic arc physical vapor deposition (CAPVD) technique. A Pin-on-Disc test was carried out to study the Coefficient of friction (COF) versus sliding distance. A surface roughness tester measured the surface roughness parameters. The minimum values for the COF and surface roughness were recorded at a N 2 gas flow rate of 200 sccm. The increase in the COF and surface roughness at a N 2 gas flow rate of 100 sccm was mainly attributed to an increase in both size and number of titanium particles, whereas the increase at 300 sccm was attributed to a larger number of growth defects generated during the coating process. These ideas make it possible to optimize the coating properties as a function of N 2 gas flow rate for specific applications, e.g. cutting tools for automobiles, aircraft, and various mechanical parts.