TEM and AES investigations of the natural surface nano‐oxide layer of an AISI 316L stainless steel microfibre

The chemical composition, nanostructure and electronic structure of nanosized oxide scales naturally formed on the surface of AISI 316L stainless steel microfibres used for strengthening of composite materials have been characterised using a combination of scanning and transmission electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray, electron energy loss and Auger spectroscopy. The analysis reveals the presence of three sublayers within the total surface oxide scale of 5.0–6.7 nm thick: an outer oxide layer rich in a mixture of FeO.Fe₂O₃, an intermediate layer rich in Cr₂O₃ with a mixture of FeO.Fe₂O₃ and an inner oxide layer rich in nickel.     

Effect of Operating Temperature on Tribological Behavior of As-Plated Ni-B Coating Deposited by Electroless Method

The present work investigates the tribological behavior of electroless Ni-B coating in its as-plated condition at elevated operating temperatures. Ni-B coating is deposited using an electroless method on AISI 1040 steel specimens. Coating characterization is done using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Vicker's microhardness and surface roughness are measured. Friction and wear tests are carried out on a pin-on-disc tribological test setup at room and elevated temperatures of 100, 300, and 500°C. The tribological behavior deteriorates at 100°C compared to room temperature. Electroless Ni-B coating shows excellent wear resistance at 300°C, which again degrades at 500°C due to severe oxidation and softening of the deposits. The worn surface of the coatings is analyzed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Within the temperature range considered, the wear mechanism changes from adhesion to a combination of adhesion and abrasion as the temperature rises from ambient condition to 100°C, following which the wear mechanism is predominantly abrasive. The formation of a tribochemical oxide film also affects the tribological behavior of the coatings at high temperature.     

Anti-oxidant mechanism of TiAlN/SiN decorative films on borosilicate glass by magnetron sputtering

The black TiAlN decorative film was prepared on the borosilicate glass by the magnetron sputtering in equipment with multiple vacuum chambers. The transparent SiN protective layer was deposited on the surface of the TiAlN film to keep the black color invariant at the high temperature. The structure of the TiAlN/SiN film was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The coating adhesion was measured by scratch tester. The TiAlN film has a columnar crystal structure with a thickness of 200 nm, and the top SiN layer is amorphous with a thickness of 100 nm. The coated borosilicate glass with the TiAlN/SiN films still retains the black color after oxidation at 600 °C in atmosphere. While the oxidation temperature elevates to 700 °C, the color of the TiAlN/SiN films begins to change. The top SiN layer plays a role as the barrier against oxygen diffusion into the inner TiAlN layer. The thin self-formed aluminum oxide layer was generated on the surface of the SiN layer and it contributes to the improvement of anti-oxidant property of the inner TiAlN layer. However, the thick self-formed aluminum oxide layer leads to the color change of the black TiAlN film. The thermal oxidation benefits the improvement of the adhesion for the TiAlN/SiN films with glass substrate.     

Deposition of duplex Al2O3/TiN coatings on aluminum alloys for tribological applications using a combined microplasma oxidation (MPO) and arc ion plating (AIP)

Microplasma oxidation (MPO) has recently been studied as a cost-effective plasma electrolytic process to provide thick and hard ceramic coatings with excellent surface load-bearing capacity on aluminum alloys. However, for sliding wear applications, such ceramic coatings often exhibit relatively high friction coefficients against many counterface materials. Although coatings deposited by physical vapour deposition (PVD) techniques such as TiN coatings are well known for providing surfaces with a high hardness, in practice they often exhibit poor performance under mechanical loading, since the coatings are usually too thin to protect the substrate from the contact conditions. In this paper, these challenges were overcome by a duplex process of microplasma oxidation and arc ion plating (AIP), in which an alumina layer Al₂O₃ was deposited on an Al alloy substrate (using MPO as a pre-treatment process) for load support, and a TiN hard coatings were deposited (using AIP) on top of the Al₂O₃ layer for low friction coefficient. Microhardness measurements, pin-on-disc sliding wear tests, and antiwear tests using a Timken tester were performed to evaluate the mechanical and tribological properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe coating morphology, and to examine wear scars from pin-on-disc test. The research demonstrates that a hard and uniform TiN coating, with good adhesion and a low coefficient of friction, can successfully be deposited on top of an alumina intermediate layer to provide excellent load support. The investigations indicate that a duplex combination of MPO coating and TiN PVD coating represents a promising technique for surface modification of Al alloys for heavy surface load bearing application.     

Tribological properties of selected PVD coatings when slid against ductile materials

In this paper, a physical vapour deposited (PVD) deposited TiB₂ coating is compared in dry sliding with commercial PVD titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN) and titanium carbonitirde (TiCN) as to frictional properties and tendency of counter material pick-up. The aim is to investigate if the superior behaviour of the TiB₂ coating experienced in severe sliding applications against aluminium alloys can be extended to other materials with a similarly poor tribological characteristics.A new tribological test for sliding contact has been used. The test configuration involves two crossed elongated cylindrical test specimens which are forced to slide axially against each other at a constant sliding speed and a gradually increasing normal load, while recording the friction. The evaluation is performed by correlating the friction history with the width, topography and composition of the sliding tracks as detected by optical and scanning electron microscopy.Coated cemented carbide (CC) test cylinders have been slid against cylinders of a Ti alloy (Ti–6Al–4V), an Al alloy (Al 7075) and Inconel 718. It was shown that the TiB₂ surface displayed superior friction and anti-sticking properties, when tested against the aluminium alloy. Against the Ti and Inconel alloys no major difference between the coatings could be found. Instead, it is concluded that the friction coefficient is determined by the plastic properties of the counter material since a complete transfer layer instantly builds up on the coating.It proved possible to estimate the friction force from the width of the sliding tracks, the Vickers hardness of the counter material and simple plastic considerations. This estimation also verifies the unexpectedly low friction of all coatings against the Ti alloy.     

Structure and tribological characteristics of steel under melting by plasma flow and simultaneous Mo and W alloying

New findings of studies of the structural, tribological, and physicomechanical characteristics of structural steel 40Kh treated by plasma flow under melting accompanied by either tungsten or molybdenum alloying are presented. Rutherford back-scattering of ions, scanning electron microscopy (with microanalysis), X-ray fluorescent spectral analysis, X-ray phase analysis, wear-resistance tests, measurement of the coefficient of friction, and transmitting electron microscopy with diffraction are the basic research methods. It is found experimentally that a thin layer 5 μm thick saturated with nitrogen and an alloying element (Mo or W) with regularly arranged crystallites arises on the steel 40Kh surface. The crystallites in this layer have a needle- and ribbon-shaped structure. A deeper layer located about 40 μm thick consists of micro- and nanosized grains. Friction and wear studies of the plasma-flow treated (melt) samples show the steel wear resistance to increase 2–2.5 times and the coefficient of friction to decrease from 0.4–0.5 to 0.10–0.15 compared to the untreated samples.     

WC-10Co-MoS2@Ni自润滑硬质合金与钛合金的摩擦学性能研究

为探究WC-10Co-MoS2@Ni自润滑硬质合金与TC4钛合金的摩擦学性能，通过热压烧结制备不同含量MoS2@Ni的硬质合金试样，采用扫描电子显微镜、三维轮廓仪、维氏硬度计等分析自润滑硬质合金的组织结构和力学性能，利用往复式摩擦试验机研究干摩擦、切削液环境和深冷环境下硬质合金与钛合金的摩擦学性能。结果表明：随着硬质合金中MoS2@Ni含量的增加，表面孔隙减少，力学性能缓慢下降；在干摩擦、切削液环境和深冷环境下，摩擦因数均随MoS2@Ni含量的增加而降低；钛合金和硬质合金在干摩擦时由于钛合金的黏附，阻碍了MoS2发挥润滑作用，磨损形式以黏着和氧化为主；在切削液环境中磨损形式以磨粒磨损和黏着磨损为主，而在深冷环境下减少了氧化和黏着，其磨损形式主要为磨粒磨损，并伴有分层磨损现象。     

Wear prevention in molds used to mold boron filled elastomers

An investigation was conducted to identify surface coatings which would improve the wear characteristics of compression molds used to mold contoured parts from elastomers filled with crystalline boron particles. An analysis was made of the mode of wear present on the surfaces of a production mold, followed by selection and modification of a capillary rheometer as the test device. Test specimens were coated by electroplating, electroless plating, plasma spraying, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering and a fused salt process. Testing was conducted under conditions simulating those encountered in the production molding operation.Techniques used in evaluating the results included optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and surface profilometry. The results are expressed as a ratio of volumetric wear of the tested coating to that of unprotected mold steel.Results indicate that titanium diboride (TiB₂) applied by chemical vapor deposition provides wear resistance superior to plasma sprayed aluminum oxide mixed with titanium dioxide, plasma sprayed chromium oxide, electrodeposited chromium, electroless nickel containing synthetic diamond powder, chemical vapor deposited tungsten carbide (W/W₂C), aluminum oxide and aluminum oxide over chromium carbide. Sputtered titanium diboride was also superior to these coatings and to sputtered titanium carbide and boron carbide.     

Nanotribology of a Silica Nanoparticle-Textured Surface

Tribological properties of a silica nanoparticle-textured (SNPT) surface were investigated at the nanoscale using a nanoindenter. The sample was fabricated by spin coating chemically synthesized silica nanoparticle solution onto a silicon substrate and then annealing the substrate in an N₂ environment. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) were used to characterize the morphology of the SNPT surface. Adhesion and friction experiments were performed with a diamond tip of nominal radius of curvature of 5 μ m, under contact forces of 750-1500 μ N, and with sliding speed of 0.1-2 μ m/s. The nanotribological properties of the SNPT sample were compared to those of a smooth silicon oxide film (SOF)-coated sample. The adhesion performance of the SNPT surface was found to be much better than that of the SOF surface. The coefficient of friction (COF) reduced up to 26%.

     

Tribological Behavior of TiAlN,AlTiN, and AlCrN Coatings at Boundary Lubricating Condition

In this study, ~?3.5 µm thick multilayer titanium alumina nitride (TiAlN), alumina titanium nitride (AlTiN), and alumina chromium nitride (AlCrN) coatings were deposited on the H13 steel surface by cathodic arc physical vapor deposition (CAPVD) method. The tribological performance of the coatings was evaluated by a tribometer at boundary lubrication condition. Then, coating surfaces were observed by optical microscope, optical profilometer, and atomic force microscope to evaluate the morphological changes, wear volumes, and tribofilm thickness. Also, scanning electron microscopy (energy dispersive X-ray) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry analyses were applied to coating surfaces for the tribochemical evolution of the tribofilm. Results showed that AlCrN coating performed the best tribological behavior at boundary lubricated condition, when compared to TiAlN and AlTiN coatings and it can be used as a wear resistant cam tappet coating in internal combustion engines.     

Molybdenum disulphide/titanium low friction coating for gears application

Multi-layer composite surface coatings made of MoS₂/titanium, exhibit good mechanical and tribological properties in several industrial applications. Its applicability to industrial gears is discussed in this work.Several tests, like Rockwell indentations, ball cratering, pin-on-disc and reciprocating wear tests, were performed in order to evaluate the adhesion to the substrate and the tribological performance of this coating.Twin-disc tests, performed at high-contact pressure and high-slide-to-roll ratios, confirmed the good adhesive and tribological properties of the MoS₂/titanium coating and left good indications about the applicability of the MoS₂/titanium coating to gears.Scuffing gear tests were performed in the FZG machine in order to evaluate the anti-scuffing performance of this coating. Finally, the MoS₂/titanium coating was applied to the gearing in a gearbox and its influence on the gearbox efficiency was studied.     

Structural and mechanical properties of (Cr,Ni) N single and gradient layer coatings deposited on mild steel by magnetron sputtering

Ternary single and gradient layer (Cr, Ni) N thin films were deposited on the mild steel substrate by unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique in order to evaluate mechanical properties for machine tools and automotive applications. Microstructure, chemical composition, surface morphology and phase analysis were carried out using field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Both single and gradient layer of (Cr, Ni) N coatings show a significant increment in mechanical properties such as hardness, adhesion strength and surface roughness along with the reduction of friction coefficient. Mechanical tests revealed that the hardness of the gradient layer increased up to 3.1 times due to the formation of Cr₂N and Ni phase whereas single layer showed the least friction. Single layer CrNiN layer exhibited 27.2% less surface roughness (R_a) in comparison with gradient layer. High values of surface roughness, hardness, thickness and friction could be correlated with high film-to-substrate adhesion (L_c2) for the gradient layer.     

Tribological properties of anatase TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> sol–gel films controlled by mutually soluble dopants

Tribological properties of TiO2 sol–gel thin films with mutually soluble dopants were studied on a glass substrate. The results showed that the formation of mutually soluble solid solution played a very important role in the growth of titania grains. The fine-grained TiO₂ films controlled by SiO₂ dopant were superior to pure TiO₂ film in wear resistance and endurance life, although both films greatly improve the surface characteristics of glass substrate, enhancing its tribological characteristics. High resistance to microfracture because of the very small grain size as well as a good adhesion of the film to the substrate is believed to be the determining factors influencing the tribological properties of SiO₂ doped TiO₂ films. However, excessive SiO₂ seriously deteriorates wear resistance of film due to phase separation. The wear mechanisms were also discussed based on the observation of the surface morphologies by scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Adhesion and friction studies of a nano-textured surface produced by spin coating of colloidal silica nanoparticle solution

This paper presents the results of adhesion and friction studies on a nano-textured surface. The nano-textures were produced by spin coating colloidal silica nanoparticle solution on a flat silicon substrate. Surface morphology was characterized by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Adhesion and friction studies were conducted using a TriboIndenter employing diamond tips with 5 μm and 100 μm nominal radii of curvature. The results show that the adhesion forces and coefficients of friction of the nano-textured surface measured by the 100 μm tip were reduced up to 98 and 88%, respectively, compared to those of a baseline silicon oxide film surface.     

Morphological Growth of Sputtered MoS2 Films

Sputtered MoS₂ films from 300 Å to 20,000 Å thick were deposited on metal and glass surfaces. The substrate effects such as surface temperature, finish, pretreatment, and chemistry as they affect the film formation characteristics were investigated by optical, electron transmission, electron diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Substrate temperature and surface chemistry were found to be the prime variables as to the formation of a crystalline or amorphous film. The friction characteristics are strictly influenced by the type of film formed. Surface chemistry and surface pretreatment account for compound formation and corresponding grain growth, which directly affect the adhesion characteristics, resulting in poor adherence. The type of surface finish (topography) as related to scratches, impurities, inhomogeneities, etc., are favorable nucleation sites for the growth of isolated and complex nodules within the film, and various complex surface overgrowths on the film. These nodular growth features have progressively more undesirable effects on the film behavior as the film thickness increases.     

Electron microscopy of PbO2 deposited on a titanium substrate

The nucleation and growth of lead dioxide on titanium substrate has been observed using scanning electron microscopy. The size and morphology of the PbO₂ nodules have been measured in an attempt to elucidate the nucleation and growth mechanism. The effects of temperature, current density and fluorine ion addition have been qualitatively determined. The structure of a film of PbO₂ formed on the titanium has been examined using TEM and found to be heavily strained and to contain lattice defects such as dislocations and stacking faults.     

Effect of MoS2-based composite coatings on tribological behavior and efficiency of gear

MoS₂-based Ti composite coatings were deposited on the SCM420 alloy and gears using an RF magnetron sputtering (RFMS) system. While MoS₂ coating had been coated on the silicon substrate. The coatings structures were compared to each other to find the effect of Ti. The composite coatings have been tested in a ball-on-disk tribometer to investigate tribological behavior at various conditions. The scratch test was conducted to characterize adhesion force between composite coatings and substrates. The structure of the coatings has been extensively studied by a variety of techniques, including optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), etc. The composite coatings were also applied to the gears of a reduction gearbox. The efficiency of uncoated and MoS₂-based Ti coated gear was measured and compared at various input rotating speed under absorption oil film condition. It was found that the efficiency of gear had significantly improved after MoS₂-based Ti composite coatings deposition.     

Sliding wear behavior of Fe-based bulk metallic glass at high temperature

In the past decade Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted increasing attention due to their beneficial properties, including high glass forming ability (GFA), high strength and hardness and high fracture toughness in both fundamental science and engineering application. Most research using these materials has been conducted at room temperature environment, and research that assesses their behavior especially at high temperature has been scarce. We present the results of high temperature effect on the friction and wear behavior of Fe-based bulk metallic glass (BMG), and we tested that this material may satisfy wear and oxidation resistance at high temperature as well as to explore the high temperature wear mechanism of the Fe-based BMG. The dry sliding tribological behaviors of Febased BMG against Si₃N₄ ceramic were conducted with a pin-on-disc friction and wear tribometer. The morphology of the worn surfaces of Fe-based BMG was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the chemical composition characterized with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to observe the wear characteristics and investigate the wear mechanisms. The overall average friction coefficient value generally decreased with increasing temperature, and the glass transition and the formation of protective oxide film played an important role in the tribological behavior of BMG. The wear resistance of Fe-based BMG was not only from their hardness but also from the formation protective oxide layer. Analysis of the worn surface revealed abrasion, plastic deformation and oxidation during sliding test.     

High resolution observations of friction-induced oxide and its interaction with the worn surface

A detailed transmission electron microscopy study of oxide and oxygen-containing phase formation during the sliding wear of metals, composites and coatings is provided. A wide range of different materials types are reported in order to compare and contrast their oxidational wear behaviour: a low carbon stainless steel, a H21 tool steel containing 7%TiC particles, a 17%Cr white iron, an Al–Si/30%SiC composite, an Al–alloy (6092)–15%Ni₃Al composite and finally a 3rd generation TiAlN/CrN ‘superhard’ multilayer coating. For the ferrous alloys, nanoscale oxides and oxygen-containing phases were formed that exhibited excellent adhesion to the substrate. In all cases, an increase in oxide coverage of the surface was associated with a decrease in Lancaster wear coefficient. The oxide at the surface of the 316L and H21+7%TiC was found to deform with the substrate, forming a mechanically mixed layer that enhanced surface wear resistance. Evidence of oxidational wear is presented for the wear of the Al–Si–30%SiC composite, but this did not give a beneficial effect in wear, a result of the brittle nature of the oxide that resulted in detachment of fine (150nm) thick fragments. The worn surface of the Al–alloy (6092)–15%Ni₃Al and TiAlN/CrN coating was characterized by reaction with the counterface and subsequent oxidation, the product of which enhanced wear resistance. The observations are related to the classical theory of oxidational wear.     

Enhancing tribological performance of Ti-6Al-4V by sliding process

The exceptional combination of mechanical, physical and anti-corrosive properties of Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4?V (Ti64) makes it idle material for the applications like aerospace, automobile, chemical, medical etc. However, Ti64 exhibits poor tribological (friction and wear) properties, which limits its implementation in the intended applications. The tribological performance of the Ti64 can be enhanced by developing a protective layer or coating on its surface. It has been reported in literatures that through rubbing process the oxide layers can be achieved at much lower temperature compared to external heating process. Therefore, an endeavour is made in the present work to achieve a tribo-oxide protective layer on the surface of Ti64 through rubbing process. For this, at first the tribological behaviour of tribo pair: Ti64 pin-alumina disc is studied under dry ambient condition for diverse loading and sliding speed conditions, using pin on disc experimental set-up. The obtained results are compared with literatures. The tribological performance is quantified in terms of coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate. To investigate the tribological mechanism and behaviour, in-situ analysis was performed on the pin’s surface using (i) scanning electron microscopy, and (ii) energy dispersive analysis of X-ray. The mechanical properties like nano-hardness and elastic modulus of the pins surface were also determined. It was envisaged that the tribological behaviour were extremely transient and depend greatly on what the surface has precisely experienced Based on the experimental observations, the experimental conditions providing (i) Case1: deprived tribological properties and (ii) Case 2: higher oxide layer is selected. Now, to enhance the tribological behaviour of Case 1, the pin with high oxide layer, i.e. Case 2 is used. For this experiment is performed initially for Case 2 conditions for the sliding distance of 1000 m (for developing oxide layer) and the experiment is continued for next 1000 m for Case 1 condition. The experimental results in terms of COF and wear rate are presented and corresponding enhancement in their values are discussed.