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In Situ Studies of TiC1−x N x Hard Coating Tribology

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Abstract

TiC1−x N x hard coatings present time-dependent tribological behavior with an initial running-in period (500–2000 cycles) marked by an elevated friction coefficient, followed by >10000 cycles with low-friction and wear at room temperature (RT) in ambient air. The mechanisms behind this behavior are not completely understood. Tribological tests performed at RT and at different relative humidity (RH) levels revealed that a minimum value between 15 and 25% RH is needed to trigger the low-friction regime at a sliding speed of 100 mm s−1. By in situ observations of transfer film growth, it could be observed that third body material is formed during this running-in period by plowing of the coating and shearing of the removed material. The appearance and thickening of the transfer film marks the beginning of the steady-state low-friction regime where the velocity is accommodated by interfacial sliding. At this stage in the tribological test, the recorded Raman spectra indicated the presence of C–H bonds in the wear track. Use of in situ analytical tools during wear tests provided insights with respect to tribological phenomena that were not available by conventional, post-mortem analysis methods.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support by the Christian Doppler Research Association is highly acknowledged. K. J. Wahl was supported by the Office of Naval Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Christian Doppler Laboratory for Advanced Hard Coatings, Department of Physical Metallurgy and Materials Testing, University of Leoben, Franz-Josef-Strasse 18, 8700, Leoben, Austria

    M. Rebelo de Figueiredo, R. Franz & C. Mitterer

  2. Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH, 45433-7750, USA

    C. Muratore & A. A. Voevodin

  3. Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University Street, Montreal, QC, Canada

    R. R. Chromik

  4. Chemistry Division, Molecular Interfaces and Tribology Section, Code 6176, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, 20375-5342, USA

    K. J. Wahl

  5. PLANSEE Composite Materials GmbH, Siebenbürgerstrasse 23, 86983, Lechbruck am See, Germany

    M. O’Sullivan

  6. OC Oerlikon Balzers AG, Iramali 18, FL-9496, Balzers, Principality of Liechtenstein

    M. Lechthaler

Authors
  1. M. Rebelo de Figueiredo
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  2. C. Muratore
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  3. R. Franz
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  4. R. R. Chromik
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  5. K. J. Wahl
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  6. A. A. Voevodin
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  7. M. O’Sullivan
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  8. M. Lechthaler
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  9. C. Mitterer
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Correspondence to M. Rebelo de Figueiredo.

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Rebelo de Figueiredo, M., Muratore, C., Franz, R. et al. In Situ Studies of TiC1−x N x Hard Coating Tribology. Tribol Lett 40, 365–373 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-010-9664-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-010-9664-7

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