Rolling-contact and wear resistance of hard coatings on bearing-steel substrates

摘要

Ever-increasing needs for high-performance ball- and roller-bearing components that can endure extreme applications have led to a growing interest in hard coatings for improved fatigue life and wear resistance. In particular, hard TiN and TiC coatings and, quite recently, diamond like carbon films have attracted much attention from manufacturers that produce bearing systems for both rolling- and sliding-contact applications. This paper presents an overview that highlights recent incremental progress in achieving improved fatigue and wear resistance in bearing steels through the use of hard coatings. Effects of coating adhesion, thickness, and morphology on fatigue and wear resistance of hard coatings are discussed in detail. Specific references are made to a few mechanistic models that correlate coating thickness and adhesion to improved fatigue life and wear resistance.