Özlem Baran

Influence of plasma nitriding treatment on the adhesion of DLC films deposited on AISI 4140 steel by PVD magnetron sputtering

Abstract Duplex surface treatments composed of diamond like carbon (DLC) coating followed by plasma nitriding have drawn attention for a while. In this study, AISI 4140 steel substrates were plasma nitrided at different treatment temperatures and times. Then, DLC films were deposited on both untreated and plasma nitrided samples using PVD magnetron sputtering. The effect of different plasma nitriding temperatures and times on the structural, mechanical and adhesion properties of DLC coatings was investigated by XRD, SEM, microhardness tester and scratch tester, respectively. It was found that surface hardness, intrinsic stresses, layer thickness values and phase distribution in modified layers and DLC coating were the main factors on adhesion properties of duplex coating system. The surface hardness and residual stress values of AISI 4140 steel substrates significantly increased with both DLC coating and duplex surface treatment (plasma nitriding + DLC coating). Increasing plasma nitriding temperature and time also increased the diffusion depth and the thickness of modified layers. Hard surface layers led to a significant improvement on load bearing capacity of the substrate material. However, it was also determined that the process parameters, which provided lower intrinsic stresses, improved the adhesion properties of the duplex coating system.

Adhesion and tribological properties of TiTaBN coatings with a graded interlayer deposited by pulsed DC biased and continuous dc biased magnetron sputtering

The properties of TiBN-based coatings are significantly affected by adding alloying elements and coating parameters. Therefore, in this study, TiTaBN coatings with graded interlayer (CWGIL) were deposited on D2 steel substrates by pulsed DC biased (PDCB) and continuously DC biased (CDCB) closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS). The structural, mechanical, adhesion and tribological properties of the coatings were analysed with EDS, SEM, XRD, microhardness, scratch testing and a pin-on-disc tribo-tester (under various atmospheric conditions). TiTaBN CWGIL deposited by PDCB magnetron sputtering (MS) had a very dense microstructure, high hardness and a high critical load value. TiTaBN CWGIL deposited by PDCB MS had a lower friction coefficient, the wear rate and the penetration depth in all atmospheric conditions. In conclusion, the application of a PDCB substrate instead of a CDCB one dramatically increases the performance of CFUBMS-deposited TiTaBN coatings.

The investigation of adhesion and fatigue properties of TiN/TaN multilayer coatings

Abstract TiN/TaN multilayer coatings exhibit excellent mechanical properties when compared to single layer nitride coatings. In this study, TiN/TaN multilayer coatings were deposited on Mo-alloy and W-alloy substrates by CFUBMS. The structural and mechanical properties of coatings were analysed using XRD, EDS, SEM and a micro-hardness tester, respectively. To determine the adhesion and fatigue behaviour of the coatings were performed a scratch test in two modes that a standard mode with progressive loading and sliding-fatigue multimode operation with unidirectional sliding, respectively. A microscope was used to characterize adhesion and fatigue failures. The structural, mechanical, adhesion and fatigue properties of TiN/TaN multilayer coatings significantly changed depending on the substrate.

Adhesion and fatigue resistance of Ta-doped MoS2 composite coatings deposited with pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering

Abstract MoS2–Ta composite coatings were deposited using the pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to determine the structural properties of the MoS2–Ta composite coatings. The hardness values and adhesion and fatigue features of the coatings were determined using a microindentation hardness test and a scratch test, respectively. The scratch tests were evaluated using two modes: a standard mode (under a progressive load) and a multimode (sliding-fatigue with a constant sub-critical load within the same scratch track). Failure mechanisms of the scratch tracks were determined by examining the resulting micrographs. The MoS2–Ta coatings have a dense columnar microstructure. XRD patterns of the coatings revealed MoS2 (0 0 2), MoS2 (1 0 0), MoS2 (1 0 3), and α-Ta (1 1 0) reflections. The thickness, roughness, hardness, and elemental ratio values of the coatings were significantly affected by the target currents. The adhesion of the coatings dramatically increased with an increase in the thickness, hardness, and Ta/Mo ratio and with decreases in the roughness. The MoS2–Ta composite coatings with a high load-bearing capacity exhibited excellent fatigue resistance.

The effect of nitrogen flow rate on TiBN coatings deposited on cold work tool steel

TiBN coatings have high hardness and high adhesion. Due to these excellent properties there has been increasing interest in TiBN coatings. In this study, TiBN coatings were deposited on AISI D2 cold work tool steel and silicon wafers by closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS). The structural, mechanical and adhesion properties of these coatings were analysed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, microhardness test, indentation test and scratch tests. TiBN coatings produced by magnetron sputtering exhibited a dense and columnar structure. These results indicate that TiB2, TiN and h-BN exist in crystalline forms at all coatings. The highest hardness was obtained at the lowest nitrogen flow rate. Very few cracks were observed at the edge of the indentation marks at the highest nitrogen flow rate. The highest critical load obtained with scratch test was identified as 102 N.

Investigation of high temperature wear resistance of TiCrAlCN/TiAlN multilayer coatings over M2 steel

Abstract In this study, TiCrAlCN/TiAlN multilayer coatings were deposited on M2 high speed steel substrates by the Closed-Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering system. The chemical composition, microstructure, morphology, mechanical and high temperature wear resistance properties of the coatings were characterized, analyzed and compared to the substrate. The high temperature wear tests were carried out under a load of 2 N at the lap (wear test distance) of 50 m and in dry sliding condition at Room Temperature (RT), 150, 300, 450, and 600 °C on atmospheric conditions. It has been found that the TiCrAlCN/TiAlN multilayer coatings have a higher wear resistance than the M2 substrate. The stable friction behavior and low friction tendency was determined at 600 °C. When the test temperature increased, the wear rates decreased. Narrow and smooth wear tracks and also the lowest wear rate were obtained at 600 °C.

Processing and Wear Behaviour of 3D Printed PLA Reinforced with Biogenic Carbon

For the first time, biocarbon reinforced polylactide (PLA) filaments were available for the 3D printing. Biocarbon is the carbon obtained from trees, plants, and soils to naturally absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. One of the most important features is renewability. Because of this, it has been decided to reinforce PLA with biocarbon to obtain 100% recyclable material. Although PLA has been used in 3D printing for a long time, more applications like housings or structural interior of automobiles or other vehicles can be realised, if the mechanical and tribological properties are improved. Because the new PLA/biocarbon reinforced composites are degradable, they can be used as soil improvement after end of life as a structural material. The filaments were produced by compounding the biocarbon with polylactide granulate. Biocarbon was produced by pyrolysis of wheat stems at 800°C. The biomass were collected from different regions in Germany, Europe. As shown by Raman spectroscopy, the in-plane crystallite size of pyrolysed wheat stems from different regions is almost similar and amounts to 2.35 ±0.02 nm. Biocarbon particles were successfully integrated into the polylactide. Filaments of 1.75 mm diameter were produced for 3D (3-dimensional) printing. Filaments with 5 vol.-%, 15 vol.-%, and 30 vol.-% biocarbon were extruded. The fused deposition modelling (FDM) printing process was slightly hindered at higher biocarbon loading. Based on optical and scanning electron microscopy, a very homogeneous particle distribution can be observed. Single carbon particles stick out of the filament surface, which may be a reason for enhanced nozzle wear during 3D printing. Friction is more stable for 30 vol.-% reinforced PLA in comparison to unreinforced PLA and composites with lower particle fraction. This effect could be caused by some topographical effects due to void generation at the surface of PLA with 30 vol.-% biocarbon. In general, the tribological resistance increases with higher volume fraction of biocarbon.

Mechanical and Tribological Properties of TiTaBN Graded-Composite Coatings Deposited Using the CFUBMS Technique

ABSTRACT In this study, TiTaBN graded-composite coatings were deposited utilizing different process parameters on D2 steel and glass substrates using pulsed DC closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS). The morphology and structure of the coatings were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. The hardness and critical load values of the coatings were determined using a microhardness tester and scratch tester, respectively. The tribological properties of the coatings were analyzed in different testing environments using a pin-on-disc tribometer. The properties of the coatings were found to be strongly affected by the coating parameters. The maximum thickness and hardness were obtained at the lowest nitrogen flow rate and highest frequency. Critical load values of coatings were increased with increased nitrogen flow rate. The low nitrogen flow rate and high frequency across the coatings resulted in enhanced tribological properties.