Characterization of Hard Mono-Nitride and -Carbide Titanium and Zirconium Coatings on High Speed Steel Cutting Tool Inserts

摘要

Hard mono-nitride and carbide coatings of Ti and Zr, deposited on high speed steel (T-15) cutting tool inserts by two different techniques (Activated Reactive Evaporation (ARE) - UCLA, and High Rate Reactive Sputtering - Borg-Warner), have been examined by several microscope and spectroscopic techniques. Information about the chemical composition of the coatings and their spatial distribution was obtained through scanning Auger microanalysis with sputter depth profiling, and with the aid of energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and profilometry provided information on film thickness, film morphology, and the surface topography of coated and uncoated T-15 inserts. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of transverse sections of coated T-15 samples yielded information about the microstructure of the coating, and of the coating/substrate interface region (e.g., grain size, preferred orientation). (ERA citation 11:032228)