THE ABILITY OF NANOCOMPOSITE CARBON COATINGS TO WITHSTAND FRICTION UNDER SEVERE CONDITIONS

摘要

The paper presents an analysis of the micromechanical properties of selected thin, hard anti-wear coatings of the type nc-TiN/a-C and nc-TiC/a-C, which were deposited by magnetron sputtering on a steel substrate. The load carrying capacity of the nanocomposite coatings was analysed in point contact with the use of indentation method, a scratch test, and friction test in contact with a ceramic ball. The hardness and modulus of elasticity of the coatings were determined by an instrumented indentation method using a Vickers indenter. The coating adhesion to the substrate was examined in a scratch test. Tribological tests in sliding contact with an Al_2O_3 ball were made at various loads to determine the limit load in which normal friction occurs. The results of tribological tests were compared with the resistance to plastic deformation index (H~3/E~2). It was found that the basic micromechanical parameters of coatings provide important information concerning durability and load carrying capacity. However, while predicting wear, it is also important to investigate the nature of the wear process during friction. The wear nature of the nc-TiN/a-C and nc-TiC/a-C coatings depends on the load value and the number of forced loads.