Tribological effect of DLC coating on the contact surfaces in a novel full-metallic pipe joint

摘要

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings have been used to improve friction and wear resistance performance in a variety of applications. Recently, a full-metallic pipe joint was developed for pipelines and pressure vessels. Since both pipes and gaskets can be made of AISI 316L stainless steel, this pipe joint is considered as a promising solution for hydrogen applications. It has also been pointed out that relative positions and contact conditions of the contacting parts, which are formed during assembly, have significant influence on the sealing performance. In the present study, the authors apply DLC coating on the contact surfaces in the pipe joint in order to improve the friction behavior so that a reliable sealing area can be easily achieved. Contact traces on the gaskets have been measured to evaluate tribological performance of the proposed method.