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.

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.

Characteristics of non-thermal AC arcs in multi-arc generator

To obtain large-volume non-thermal arc plasma(NTAP), a multiple NTAP generator with three pairs of electrodes has been developed. The arc plasma characteristics, including dynamic process, spatial distribution, and rotation velocity in the discharge zone, were investigated by high speed photograph and image processing methods. The results showed that the dynamic behaviors and spatial distribution of the arc plasma were strongly related to the electrode configuration.A swirl flow of multi-arc plasma was formed by adjusting the electrode configuration, and a steady luminance area was clearly observed in the center of the discharge zone. Moreover, the size of the luminance area increased by decreasing the gas flow rate. The electrical connection in series could be formed between/among these arc columns with their respective driving power supplies in the multi-arc dynamic evolution process. An approximately periodical process of acceleration and deceleration of the arc rotation velocity was observed in the multi-arc generator with swirl flow configuration. In general, the mean velocity of arc rotation was higher in the multi-arc generator with swirl flow configuration when a pair of electrodes driven by a power supply were opposite to each other rather than adjacent.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON SUPERFICIAL COAT OF GEARS OF NITRIDED 32Cr2MoV COATED WITH TiN FILM BY MULTI-ARC ION PLATING

After 32CrMoV is selected to manufacture nitrided gears coated with TiN by multi-arc ion plating, all of these uncoated gears and coated gears run in the gearbox under the same initial conditions so as to compare their difference concerning properties and microstructure. Experiment results indicate that tooth surface of the coated-TiN gears does not suffer surface abnormalities in meshed zone. Instead, the gears with nitrided case exhibit an abrasion mark on the meshed zone of tooth surface, which results in more weight loss of nitrided gears. The morphology of the surface suggests TiN film with more than 2 000 HV is so dense and smooth that coated-TiN gears have higher wear resistance compared with the uncoated gears. The microstructure of coated-TiN gears is finer, hardness is higher and its distribution of coated-TiN gears is more reliable than uncoated ones, which makes nitride layer combined with TiN film tightly. Consequently, the wear-resistance of gears has been dramatically promoted.

Dynamic characteristics of multi-arc thermal plasma in four types of electrode configurations

The enhanced volume of thermal plasma is produced by a multi-arc thermal plasma generator with three pairs of discharge electrodes driven by three directed current power suppliers.Combined with a high-speed camera and an oscilloscope,which acquire optical and electric signals synchronously,the dynamic behavior of different kinds of multi-arc discharge adjusted by the electrode arrangement is investigated.Also,the spatial distributions and instability of the arc discharge are analyzed in four electrode configurations using the gray value statistical method.It is found that the cathodic arcs mainly show a contracting state,while the anodic arcs have a trend of transition from shrinkage to a diffusion-like state with the increase of the discharge current.As a result of the adjustment of the electrode configuration,a high temperature region formed in the center of the discharge region in configurations of adjacent electrodes with opposite flow distribution and opposite electrodes with swirl flow distribution due to severe fluctuation of arcs.The discharge voltage rises with increased discharge current in this novel multi-arc plasma generator.It is also found that anode ablation mainly occurs on the conical surface at the copper electrode tip,while cathode erosion mainly occurs on the surface of the inserted tungsten and the nearby copper.

Structure and Tribological Properties of CrTiAlN Coatings Deposited by Multi-Arc Ion Plating

CrTiAIN coatings were prepared by using a home-made industrial scale multi-arc ion plating system. The coatings were found to be composites of face-center-cubic CrN and TiN. The surface roughness, microhardness, and tribological properties of the films were significantly affected by the nitrogen pressure and dc-pulsed bias voltage applied to the substrate. The CrTiA1N coatings with the smoothest surfaces were obtained at optimum conditions of nitrogen pressure of 5.0 Pa and bias voltage of -200 V. The samples were found to exhibit a hardness of 2900 HV0.05 with an average friction coefficient of 0.16 and wear rate of 1.5× 10^-16 m^3/N.m against cemented carbide.

MULTI-ARC BASIN SYSTEM OF THE KUNLUN OROGENIC BELT AND PAN-CATHYSIAN CONTINENTAL ACCRETION

After Rodinia supercontinent was disintegrated in Late Proterozoic, an ocean, namely, Tethys Ocean, occurred between Gondwana continental group and Pan-Cathaysian continental group from Late Proterozoic to Mesozoic. From Early Paleozoic to Mesozoic, Tethys Ocean was subducted toward Pan-Cathaysian block group, which results in backarc expansion, arc-land collision and forearc accretion. When the backarc basin expands and reaches the small oceanic basin, ophiolite melange will be generated. As accretion had already occurred in the south of the continental margin in the earlier stage, the succeeding backarc expansion and the frontal arc position were migrated toward south correspondingly. Therefore, multiple ophiolite belts and magmatic rock belts occurred, and show a trend of decreasing age from north toward south. As the continental margin was split and migrated toward south and reached a high latitude position, i.e., with the shortening and subduction of oceanic crust, the sedimentary bodies at high latitude was accreted continuously toward low latitude area together with the formation of oceanic island, mixing of cold-type and warm-type organism was generated. Moreover,blocks split and separated from Pan-Cathaysian or Gondwana continental group cannot traverse the oceanic median ridge and joins with another continental block. As a result, the Kunlun belt on the SW margin of the Pan-Cathaysian land was resulted from the multi-arc orogenesis such as the backarc seabed expansion, arc-arc collision, arc-land collision oceanic bed, and the continuous southward accretion process.

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.

THE LUBRICATING PROPERTIES OF ION-PLATING FILMS OF Pb-Sn ALLOY

Experimental results of the lubricating behaviour of Pb-Sn alloy films formed by ion-plating on brass substrates are given. It is shown that the film microhardness, friction coefficient and wear life per thickness are under the influence of the substrate. The wear failure of film appears to be film adhesion and transferring by the mating surface.

STUDIES OF Cr-O THIN FILNS DEPOSITED BY MULTI-ARC ION PLATING

This paper presents the formation of Cr-O thin films on an iron substrate by multi-arc ion plating, which are intended to be used as a thermal radiation absorbent in electronic vacuum devices. Only oxygen was used as a reaction gas during deposition, the Cr-O thin film, must have high adhesion and low outgassing rate. The scratch test shows that the critical load, for an applicable Cr-O thin film deposited in oxygen atmosphere alone at a pressure of 8×10-1 Pa, was as high as 6kg.

Influence of Negative Bias Voltage on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of MoS_2/Zr Composite Films

MoS2/Zr composite films were deposited on the cemented carbide YT14 （WC＋14%TiC＋6%Co） by medium-frequency magnetron sputtered and coupled with multi-arc ion plated techniques.The influence of negative bias voltage on the composite film properties,including adhesion strength,micro-hardness,thickness and tribological properties were investigated.The results showed that proper negative bias voltage could significantly improve the mechanical and tribological properties of composite films.The effects of negative bias voltage on film properties were also put forward.The optimal negative bias voltage was -200 V under this experiment conditions.The obtained composite films were dense,the adhesion strength was about 60 N,the thickness was about 2.4 μm,and the micro-hardness was about 9.0 GPa.The friction coefficient and wear rate was 0.12 and 2.1×10-7 cm3/N·m respectively after 60 m sliding operation against hardened steel under a load of 20 N and a sliding speed of 200 rev·min-1.

MICROHARDNESS DISTRIBUTION AT INTERFACE OF(N^++IP)-TiN COMPOSITE COATINGS ON STEEL

The composite coating of(N^++IP)-TiN was prepared by ion-plated TiN film onto ion-nitrided case on the low carbon steel substrate.The microhardness measurement along in- terface between IP-TiN coating and substrate was detected as a moderate decrease in magni- tude with increase of distance from the coating surface.This seems due to the occurrence of ion nitride case,ε-Fe_3N-Fe_2N and Fe_4N phases,along the interface.

Improved Electrochemical Performance of Surface-Modified Metal Hydride Electrodes

A novel plating process was applied to the surface modification of the metal hydride （MH） electrode of the MH/Ni batteries. The electrode was plated with a thin nickel film about 0.1 μm thick by using multi-arc ion plating technique. The X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and scanning electron microscope （SEM） were used to analyze the electrodes. Influence of the surface modification on the performance of the MH/Ni batteries was studied. It is shown that the surface modification could enhance the electrode eondue tivity and decrease the batteries ohimie resistance by 28.2 %. After surface modification, the discharge capacity of the batteries at 5C （8.5 A） is increased by 212 mA· h and discharge voltage is increased by 0.09 V. The surface modification also improves the cyclic durability of the batteries. The inner pressure of the batteries with modified electrode during overcharging is much lower than that with unmodified electrode. The experimental results demonstrate that this process is an effective way for the surface modification of the electrode of MH/Ni batteries.

High temperature oxidation resistance of CrN/(Ti,Al,Zr,Cr)N bilayer films deposited by multi-arc ion plating

CrN/（Ti,Al,Zr,Cr） N bilayer films were successfully deposited on cemented carbide（ WC-8% Co） substrates by multi-arc ion plating process using two Ti-Al-Zr alloy targets and one pure Cr target. As a result of bilayered structure and addition of alloying elements（ e. g. Al and Cr）,the films exhibited excellent high temperature oxidation resistance under both short-term isothermal（ up to 800 ℃） and long-term cyclic（ up to 600 ℃） exposure conditions. Combined with pre-established outstanding tribological properties（ e. g. maximum hardness of 4 000HV0. 01 and maximum adhesion strength over 200 N）,these observations make such films quite a promising candidate to extend the cutting tool life span and boost the performance in high-productivity,high-speed and high-feed cutting or in dry machining conditions.

Oxidation behavior of TiAlZrCr/(Ti,Al,Zr,Cr)N gradient films deposited by multi-arc ion plating

The two Ti-Al-Zr targets and one pure Cr target were used to prepare the TiAlZrCr/（Ti, Al, Zr, Cr）N gradient films on high speed steel （WlSCr4V） substrates by multi-arc ion plating technique. Short-term isothermal （at 600 ℃, 700 ℃, 800℃ and 900 ℃ for 4 h） and long-terra cyclic （at 700℃ and 800℃ for 100 h） high temperature oxidation behavior of the gradient films were studied. Then the oxide scales formed on the film specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. It was showed that, under short-term isothermal condition, the high temperature oxidation resistance of the gradient film was excellent up to 800 ℃ and an oxide scale comprising TiO2 was observed. On the other hand, under long-term cyclic high temDerature condition, the oxidation resistance of the gradient film was excellent at about 700 ℃.

Preparation of a tantalum-based MoSi_(2)–Mo coating resistant to ultra-high-temperature thermal shock by a new two-step process

To develop an ultra-high-temperature resistant coating for a reusable thermal protection system,the preparation of a tantalum-based MoSi_(2)-Mo coating by a new two-step process of multi-arc ion plating and halide activated pack cementation is presented.The coating has a dense structure and is well compatible with the tantalum substrate,which can be thermally shocked from room temperature to 1750℃ for 360 cycles without failure.The mechanism of the coating’s excellent resistance to high-temperature thermal shocks is that a strong-binding gradient interface and a dense SiO_(2) oxide scale with good oxygen resistance are formed by the high-temperature self-diffusion of Si.