TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CARBON AND NITROGEN-BASED HARD FILMS SLIDING AGAINST THE NICKEL-BASED SUPERALLOY

Abstract

This study is focused on the tribological properties of micro- and nano-crystalline diamond (MCD and NCD), non-hydrogenated and hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC and DLC-H) and nitrogen-based (CrN, TiN and TiAlN) coatings sliding against the super alloy Inconel 718, in terms of the maximal and average coefficients of frictions (COFs), the worn morphologies and the specific wear rates, by the rotating ball-on-plate configuration under dry condition. The results show that the nitrogen-based films show comparable COFs and wear rates with the WC–Co substrates. The DLC and DLC-H show lower COFs compared with the nitrogen-based films. Furthermore, their wear resistance is limited due to their low thickness compared with MCD and NCD, which have the same elemental composition. The DLC-H coating exhibits much lower wear rate compared with the DLC coating, which may be derived from the passivation of dangling bonds by the linking of H to C atoms. The MCD and NCD films show the lowest average COFs and mild wear after tribotests, due to their high hardness and low adhesive strength between pure diamond and the super alloy. Among all the tested films, the NCD film-based tribopair presents the lowest maximal and average COFs, tiny wear debris particles, mild wear of ball and plate without scratching grooves, indicating that the NCD film may be suitable to be deposited on cutting tools for super alloy machining.