Fabian Hoffmann

Continuous Cooling Transformation (CCT) Diagram of Aluminium Alloy Al-4.5Zn-1Mg

Age hardening is one of the most important processes to strengthen aluminium alloys. It usually consists of the steps solution annealing, quenching and aging. For heat treatment simulations as well as for the appropriate choice of quenching processes in heat treatment shops, knowledge of the temperature- and time-dependent precipitation behaviour during continuous cooling is required. Quenching should happen as fast as necessary to reach high strengths, but also as slow as possible, to reduce residual stresses and distortion. This optimal quenching rate of an aluminium component depends on its chemical composition, initial microstructure and solution annealing parameters as well as on its dimensions. Unfortunately continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams of aluminium alloys do almost not exist. Instead isothermal transformation (IT) diagrams or given average quenching rates are used to estimate quenching processes, but they are not satisfying neither for heat treatment simulations nor for heat treatment shops. Thermal analysis, especially Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) provides an approach for CCT-diagrams of aluminium alloys, if the relevant quenching rates can be realized in the DSCequipment. The aluminium alloy Al-4.5Zn-1Mg (7020) is known for its relatively low quenching sensitivity as well as for its technical importance. The complete CCT-diagram of 7020 with cooling rates from a few K/min to some 100 K/min has been recorded. Samples have been solution annealed and quenched with different cooling rates in a high speed DSC. The resulting precipitation heat peaks during cooling have been evaluated for temperature and time of precipitation start, as well as their areas as a measure for the precipitate amount. Quenched samples have been further investigated regarding their microstructure by light and electron microscopy, hardness after aging and precipitation behaviour during re-heating in DSC. The CCT-diagram correlated very well with the microstructure, hardness and re-heating results. A critical cooling rate with no detectable precipitation during continuous cooling 155 K/min could be determined for 7020. A model to integrate the CCT-diagram in heat treatment simulation of aluminium alloys is under development.

Sliding wear behaviour of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings deposited on plasma nitrided steels

Abstract A hydrogen-free DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating was deposited with a bias voltage of 150 V on various high and low alloy tool steels to study the effect of the pre-treatment of the steel substrate on the wear behaviour of the DLC coating in sliding contact with uncoated counterparts. The morphology and mechanical properties of the DLC coating as well as the effect of plasma nitriding on the surface roughness and the hardness of the steels were studied in order to perform a correlation with the results of tribology tests. It could be concluded from the results that the plasma nitriding of the high alloy tool steel X210CrW12 leads to a significant decrease in the wear and friction coefficient of the DLC coating. Furthermore, it was found that plasma nitriding of the steel results in a decrease in the wear of uncoated counterparts as well. Finally, the wear mechanisms and failure of DLC coatings deposited on various steels were compared with each other and discussed analytically.

Influence of Substrate Nitriding on Adhesion, Friction and Wear Resistance of DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon)-Coatings

Since diamond like carbon layers feature excellent mechanical and tribological behavior under defined environmental circumstances, they are well established in a wide field of industrial and automotive applications in the last decade. However, the pretreatment of the substrate plays also an important role in supporting and enforcing the excellent properties of the coatings. This work analyses the effect of the plasma nitrided cold working steel substrate (80CrV2) on the adhesion, friction and wear resistance of DLC-coatings and compares it to the performance of DLC-coatings applied on a non-hardened substrate material. Therefore the grinded and polished specimens were nitrogen-hardened in an Arc-PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition)-device before the DLC-coating was applied in a Magnetron Sputter-PVD-process. In order to measure the hardness of the thin film coating, a nanoindenter was used. The adhesion was tested with a scratch tester and the wear resistance was measured by using a Ball-on-disc-tester. A 3D-profilometer and a SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) were utilized to analyze the scratches and wear tracks on the samples. With these results correlations between the substrate nitriding and the mechanical and tribological performance of the DLC-coating were made.

Correlation between Tribological Properties, sp²/sp³-Ratio and H-Content of Low-Wear Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Layers

It has been established that hardness and density of diamond-like carbon (DLC) layers can be raised by increasing ion energy during deposition, decreasing H-content and by increasing sp3-fraction. To confirm differences in hydrogen content of hydrogen containing and hydrogen free DLC films deposited at different bias voltages, layers were etched in oxygen atmosphere in a capacitively coupled plasma device. By employing real-time ellipsometry measurements, the H-content of the hydrogen containing a-C:H layers were estimated by determining the optical constants n and k (n-real part and k-imaginary part of the refractive index). In addition, DLC layers were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to estimate the ratio of sp²- and sp³-hybridization. The mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings were evaluated by means of nanoindentation and ball-on-disc-tests. Finally correlations between these properties, H-content and sp3/sp2-ratio were obtained in an effort to explain different tribological behaviors of DLC-layers.

Age Hardening of Forged Aluminium Components – Mechanical Properties and Distortion Behaviour after Gas Quenching

For quenching of age hardenable aluminum alloys today predominantly aqueous quenching media are used, which can lead due to the Leidenfrost phenomenon to a non-uniform cooling of the parts and thus to distortion. In relation to the conventional quenching procedures in aqueous media, gas quenching exhibits a number of technological, ecological, and economical advantages. The quenching intensity can be adjusted by the variable parameters gas pressure, gas velocity as well as the kind of gas and thus can be adapted to the requirements of the component. By the higher uniformity and the better reproducibility, gas quenching offers a high potential to reduce distortion. Cost savings would be possible, because of reduced distortion and therefore less reworking. High-pressure gas quenching with nitrogen or helium, as well as air quenching at ambient pressure in a gas nozzle field was applied to the spray formed aluminum alloy Al-17Si-4Fe-3Cu-0.5Mg-0.4Zr (DISPAL S232). Hardness and tensile tests have been carried out to determine the mechanical properties after gas quenching and aging compared to water quenching. The distortion behavior of a forged aluminum component of the spray formed alloy was examined after gas quenching and after water quenching. Gas quenching showed remarkable advantages regarding distortion.