THE EFFECTS OF PULSE BIAS VOLTAGE AND N_2 PARTIAL PRESSURE ON TiAlN FILMS OF ARC ION PLATING (AIP)

Owing to the characteristics of arc ion plating(AIP) technique, the structure and composition of TiAlN films can be tailored by controlling of various parameters such as compositions of target materials, N2 partial pressure, substrate bias and so on. In this study, several titanium aluminum nitride films were deposited on 1Cr11Ni2W2MoV steel for compressor blade of areo-engine under different d.c pulse bias voltage and nitrogen partial pressure. The effects of substrate pulse bias and nitrogen partial pressure on the deposition rate, droplet formation, microstruture and elemental component of the films were investigated.

Microstructure and residual stress of TiN films deposited at low temperature by arc ion plating

The TiN films were deposited on 316 L stainless steel substrates at low temperature by arc ion plating. The influences of substrate bias voltage and temperature on microstructure, residual stress and mechanical properties of the films were investigated by EDS, SEM, XRD and nanoindenter tester, respectively. The results showed that the TiN films were highly oriented in（111） orientation with a face-centered cubic structure. With the increase of substrate bias voltage and temperature, the diffraction peak intensity increased sharply with simultaneous peak narrowing, and the small grain sizes increased from 6.2 to 13.8 nm. As the substrate temperature increased from 10 to 300℃, the residual compressive stress decreased sharply from 10.2 to 7.7 GPa, which caused the hardness to decrease from 33.1 to 30.6 GPa, while the adhesion strength increased sharply from 9.6 to 21 N.

Formation of nanocrystalline microstructure in arc ion plated CrN films

Applying negative bias voltages caused significant microstructure changes in arc ion plated CrN films. Nanocrystalline microstructures were obtained by adjusting the negative bias voltage. Structural characterizations of the films were carried out using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The results indicated that increasing ion bombardment by applying negative bias voltages resulted in the formation of defects in the CrN films, inducing microstructure evolution from micro-columnar to nanocrystalline. The microhardness and residual stresses of the films were also affected. Based on the experimental results, the evolution mechanisms of the film microstructure and properties were discussed by considering ion bombardment effects.

Influences of nitrogen flow rate on the structures and properties of Ti and N co-doped diamond-like carbon films deposited by arc ion plating

In this paper, Ti-C-N nanocomposite films are deposited under different nitrogen flow rates by pulsed bias arc ion plating using Ti and graphite targets in the Ar/N2 mixture gas. The surface morphologies, compositions, microstructures, and mechanical properties of the Ti-C-N films are investigated systematically by field emission scanning electron mi- croscopy （FE-SEM）, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, grazing incident x-ray diffraction （GIXRD）, Raman spectra, and nano-indentation. The results show that the nanocrystalline Ti（C,N） phase precipitates in the film from GIXRD and XPS analysis, and Raman spectra prove the presence of diamond-like carbon, indicating the formation of nanocomposite film with microstructures comprising nanocrystalline Ti（C,N） phase embedded into a diamond-like matrix. The nitrogen flow rate has a significant effect on the composition, structure, and properties of the film. The nano-hardness and elastic modulus first increase and then decrease as nitrogen flow rate increases, reaching a maximum of 34.3 GPa and 383.2 GPa, at a nitrogen flow rate of 90 sccm, respectively.

Effect of deposition parameters on mechanical properties of TiN films coated on 2A12 aluminum alloys by arc ion plating (AIP)

TiN films were deposited on 2A12 aluminum alloy by arc ion plating (AIP). The Vickers hardness of the films deposited at different bias voltages and different nitrogen gas pressures, and that of the substrate were measured. The surface roughness of the TiN films diposited at –30 V and –80 V respectively and at different nitrogen gas pressure was measured also. The mass loss of TiN films deposited at 0 V, –30 V and –80 V respectively were analyzed in dry sand rubber wheel abrasive wear tests and wet ones in comparison with uncoated Al alloy and austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316L). It is revealed that the highest hardness of the TiN film is obtained at a bias voltage of –30 V and a N2 gas pressure of 0.5 Pa. The surface roughness of the film is larger at –80 V than that at –30 V and reduces as the increase of the N2 gas pressure. The mass loss of TiN-film coated 2A12 aluminum alloy is remarkably less than that of uncoated Al alloy and also that of AISI 316L, which indicates that the abrasive wear rate is greatly reduced by the application of TiN coating. TiN coating deposited by arc ion plating (AIP) technique on aluminum alloy can be a potential coating for machine parts requiring preciseness and lightness.

Effect of Sample Configuration on Droplet-Particles of TiN Films Deposited by Pulse Biased Arc Ion Plating

Orthogonal experiments are used to design the pulsed bias related parameters, including bias magnitude, duty cycle and pulse frequency, during arc ion deposition of TiN films on stainless steel substrates in the case of samples placing normal to the plasma flux. The effect of these parameters on the amount and the size distribution of droplet-particles are investigated, and the results have provided sufficient evidence for the physical model, in which particles reduction is due to the case that the particles are negatively charged and repulsed from negative pulse electric field. The effect of sample configuration on amount and size distribution of the particles are analyzed. The results of the amount and size distribution of the particles are compared to those in the case of samples placing parallel to the plasma flux.

XTEM STUDY ON ION PLATED STAINLESS STEEL MULTI-LAYER FILMS

In this paper, the cross sectional microstructure and crystal structure of ion plated multi layer films of stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti ) were studied by cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The results show that ion plated stainless steel multi layer films are fine grained double phase steel films of austenites and ferrites.Cross section film growing microstructures can be divided into three zones: fine equiaxed crystals, fine columnar crystals and coarse columnar crystals. Interfaces in multi layer films can promote fine grained growing and interrupt columnar grained growing,and improve properties of film materials.

Oxidation of Ion Plated Ni—Cr Alloy Film at 300℃

Investigation by using LAS 3000 surface analysis system showed that the oxide of Fe, Cr,Al formed during oxidation were Cr_2O_3,Fe_2O_3 and Al_2O_3,but only small amount of nickel oxide was found. The composition of oxide layers for different oxidation durations varied in a similar way. In all cases,there exists an oxygen concentration peak in the composition profile of oxide layer. There is a transitional zone between oxide layer and alloy film.The thickness of oxide layer increases logarithmically with the time of oxida- tion.The ion plated Ni-Cr alloy film has very dense oxide layer and good oxidation resistance.

Wear-resistance and anti-scuffing of multi-arc ion plating molybdenum films

The multi-arc ion plating technology was employed to prepare the molybdenum films with thickness of 3 μm on the AISI 1045 steel. The wear and scuffing tests were carried out on the ball-on-disc tester. AFM and SEM equipped with EDS were adopted to observe and analyze the morphologies and element compositions of surface,cross-section and worn scar of the Mo film. The phase structure was studied by XRD and the bonding strength between Mo film and substrate was measured by scratching tester. The tribological experiments show that the Mo film possesses a good wear-resistance and an excellent anti-scuffing property. The failure mechanism of Mo film under extreme condition is flaking off.

TEM OBSERVATION OF ION-PLATED Al FILM ON Ni SUBSTRATE

A new phase was found at the interface between Al film and Ni substrate when the time of ion-plating reaches 5 min.It was identified to be body centered tetragonal lattice with the constants a=b=0.588 nm,c=0.480 nm.The variation of microstructure and phases with the ion-plating time were observed.Based on these results,the ion-plating film formation mech- anism has been also discussed.

Composition Gradient Hard Coatings by Arc Ion Plating

Arc Ion Plating can be used to synthesize multi-component composition gradient hard coatings by adjusting arc currents of metal targets. The present work aims at a comprehensive description of such a technique. The examples of TiAl multi-layer alloy coatings and (Ti, M) N composition-gradient films were taken (M representing Zr, Nb etc.) for the purpose of explaining the working process and evaluating practical effects. The results show that this technique has the advantages of easy manipulation, rapid deposition, and wide composition range.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings deposited by arc ion plating with separate targets

TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings were prepared by arc ion plating with separate targets. In order to decrease the unfavorable macroparticles, a straight magnetized filter was used for the low melting aluminium target. The results show that the output plasmas of titanium target without filter and aluminium target with filter reach the substrate with the same order of magnitude. Meanwhile, the number of macropartieles in TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings deposited with separate targets is only 1/10-1/3 of that deposited with alloy target reported in literature. Al atom addition may lead to the decrease of peak at （200） lattice plane and strengthening of peak at （111） and （220） lattice planes. The measured hardness of TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings accords with the mixture principle and the maximum hardness is HV2495. The adhesion strength reaches 75 N.

Structure and wear resistance of TiN and TiAlN coatings on AZ91 alloy deposited by multi-arc ion plating

In order to investigate the microstructure of TiN and TiAlN coatings and their effect on the wear resistance of Mg alloy, TiN and TiAlN coatings were deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy by multi-arc ion plating technology.TiN and Ti70Al30N coatings were prepared on the substrate,respectively,which exhibited dark golden color and compact microstructure.The microstructures of TiN and Ti70Al30N coatings were investigated by X-ray diffractometry(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The micro-hardness and wear resistance of TiN and Ti70Al30N coatings were investigated in comparison with the uncoated AZ91 alloy. The XRD peaks assigned to TiN and TiAlN phases are found.The hardness of TiN coatings is two times as high as that of AZ91 alloy, and Ti70Al30N coating exhibits the highest hardness.The wear resistance of the hard coatings increases obviously as result of their high hardness.

Thickness Dependence of Structural and Optical Properties of Chromium Thin Films as an Infrared Reflector for Solar-thermal Conversion Applications

The thermal emittance of Cr film, as an IR reflector, was investigated for the use in SSAC. The Cr thin films with different thicknesses were deposited on silicon wafers, optical quartz and stainless steel substrates by cathodic arc ion plating technology as a metallic IR reflector layer in SSAC. The thickness of Cr thin films was optimized to achieve the minimum thermal emittance. The effects of structural, microstructural, optical, surface and cross-sectional morphological properties of Cr thin films were investigated on the emittance. An optimal thickness about 450 nm of the Cr thin film for the lowest total thermal emittance of 0.05 was obtained. The experimental results suggested that the Cr metallic thin film with optimal thickness could be used as an effective infrared reflector for the development of SSAC structure.

Simulation Investigation on Particle Transmission Characteristics of Two Different Ion Barrier Films

The simulation calculation and analysis of electron transmittance and ion stopping power for ion barrier films (IBFs) of Al2O3 and SiO2 are performed by Monte Carlo methods. The interaction model between particles and solids are described. It is found that at the same conditions,the electron transmittance for SiO2 IBF is relatively higher than that of Al2O3 IBF,and the ion stopping power of SiO2 IBF is relatively lower than that of Al2O3 by Monte Carlo simulations. It is also indicated that SiO2 is one of the ideal materials for fabricating IBFs.

Study on Properties of Ti(C,N)/TiN Multi-Element-layer Films Plus Nanometer Lubrication Dry Films

Ti(C,N)/TiN multi-element-layer films was deposited on aluminium alloy substrates by using multi-arc ion plating. The microhardness of the films was 2000HV0.i which was nearly 21 times of that of the substrates. XRD analysis show that the main composition of the composite films system were Ti(C,N), TiN, Al3Ti, Al and a little Ti2N. The presence of MjTi new phase in the interface of the films/substrates indicated some metallurgical bonding between them, which implies higher adhesive strength of the films/substrates system. Pin-on-disc tests showed that the wear resistance of the substrates was improved substantially. However, the coefficient of friction of the films/substrate system was high (u=0.66), which resulted in the wear of the counterparts. To reduce the coefficient of friction, nanometer lubrication dry films was applied on top of the multi-element-layer films to form composite films system and subsequent wear tests showed that the resulting composite films led to reduction of the coefficient of friction from 0.66 to 0.16. Meanwhile, wear mass loss of the counterpart was reduced from 1.29 mg to 0.02 mg, so that increased wear resistance and reduced friction effects were achieved.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW TEMPERATURE ION PLATING TiN COATINGS

The TiN coatings were deposited onto the low carbon steel substrates with different temperatures (150,250,350 and 450 ℃), using hollow cathode discharge (HCD) ion plating method. The measurements of the microhardness and wear resistance of the coatings show that the hardness value slowly increases and the wear resistance remains almost unchanged with increasing the substrate temperature from 150 ℃ to 450 ℃. The reason for effect of the substrate temperature on the properties and morphologies of the coatings was investigated by means of X ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM).

电弧离子镀TiN/ZrN多层膜力学性能研究

采用电弧离子镀制备了调制比和总厚度一定,周期数不同的一系列TiN/ZrN多层膜,研究了周期数对多层膜力学性能的影响。使用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜分析了多层膜的结构形貌,利用显微硬度计、往复摩擦试验机和多功能材料表面性能试验仪测试了薄膜的力学性能和摩擦学性能。结果表明,多层膜都呈现单一的面心立方结构,以柱状晶结构生长,表面致密光滑,界面效应明显,力学性能受到界面结构和择优取向的影响,当周期数为50时,TiN具有明显的(200)择优取向,多层膜的硬度达到最大值2568 Hv,多层膜的摩擦学性能受到表面形貌和硬度的影响,当周期数为40时,具有最低的摩擦系数为0.47,磨损率随着硬度的增加而减少,在50周期时的磨损率为6.9×10^(-6)mm^(3)·N^(-1)·m^(-1),耐磨性最佳。

Cr-CrN-Cr-CrAlN多层膜对TC4钛合金力学性能的影响

为了提高钛合金基体的表面抗冲蚀性能,并研究Cr基多层膜对钛合金基体的疲劳力学性能的影响,采用真空阴极电弧沉积技术在TC4钛合金表面沉积3.99,6.85,9.62μm 3种厚度的Cr-CrN-Cr-CrAlN多层膜。主要通过拉伸试验和轴向加载疲劳试验,研究对比了室温下TC4钛合金基体与膜层试样的轴向拉伸性能和轴向高低周疲劳性能。结果表明:在TC4钛合金表面所制备的3种Cr-CrN-Cr-CrAlN多层膜的厚度分别约为3.99、6.85和9.62μm,硬度分别为2455、3024和3578 HV,膜基结合力则分别为12.4、15.2和20.1 N。镀多层膜后提高了TC4钛合金的拉伸屈服强度、抗拉强度和弹性模量,而降低了断裂伸长率。经镀6.85μm的多层膜后,TC4钛合金的轴向高周疲劳极限下降了4.15%,镀膜对高周疲劳性能影响较小;而低周疲劳性能影响则较大,50000次寿命对应的疲劳强度降低了约21.04%。

Effect of Axial Magnetic Field on the Microstructure, Hardness and Wear Resistance of TiN Films Deposited by Arc Ion Plating

TiN films were deposited on stainless steel substrates by arc ion plating. The influence of an axial magnetic field was examined with regard to the microstructure, chemical elemental composition, mechanical properties and wear resistance of the films. The results showed that the magnetic field puts much effect on the preferred orientation, chemical composition, hardness and wear resistance of TiN films. The preferred orientation of the TiN films changed from（111） to（220） and finally to the coexistence of（111） and（220） texture with the increase in the applied magnetic field intensity. The concentration of N atoms in the TiN films increases with the magnetic field intensity, and the concentration of Ti atoms shows an opposite trend. At first, the hardness and elastic modulus of the TiN films increase and reach a maximum value at 5 m T and then decrease with the further increase in the magnetic field intensity. The high hardness was related to the N/Ti atomic ratio and to a well-pronounced preferred orientation of the（111） planes in the crystallites of the film parallel to the substrate surface. The wear resistance of the Ti N films was significantly improved with the application of the magnetic field, and the lowest wear rate was obtained at magnetic field intensity of 5 m T. Moreover, the wear resistance of the films was related to the hardness H and the H3/E＊2 ratio in the manner that a higher H3/E＊2 ratio was conducive to the enhancement of the wear resistance.