MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ANNEALED WC/C COATINGS DEPOSITED WITH DIFFERENT GAS MIXTURES IN AN RFMS PROCESS

摘要

The optimised indented hardness (H-IT) of WC/C coatings deposited using an RF magnetron sputtering technique in relation to the vacuum chamber pressure and bias is presented in this paper. Based on the investigation, the maximal values of hardness (ca. 22.3 GPa) and Young's modulus (ca. 298 GPa) are shown. Besides the hardness and Young's modulus values, the minimal value of the coefficient of friction (COF) ca. 0.29 was obtained. WC/C coatings were deposited with and without N-2 and N-2 - SiH4 (in a gas mixture) and they were subsequently annealed at 200 degrees C, 500 degrees C and 800 degrees C. Finally, they were evaluated from the aspect of H-IT, E-IT, COP and morphology as well as from the structural composition of the WC/C coatings before and after annealing.