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Friction and Wear Properties of WC/C Nano-Scale Multilayer Coatings on Technical Surfaces

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Abstract

This article reports on the tribological performance of a WC/C multilayer coating with a periodicity WC/C = 15/5 nm deposited on bearing steel substrates. These substrates were initially polished to achieve different RMS roughness values ranging from 15 to 900 nm. Tribological tests were performed using a precision reciprocating microtribometer under ambient conditions with a steel ball as a counter-sample. The worn sample surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The results indicate that the combined effects of the real contact area, lubricating effect of the coating, as well as the formation of a transfer layer and its subsequent removal, all contribute to a dependence of surface roughness on the coefficient of friction (CoF).

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG) within the framework of the Special Cooperative Research Project under grant SFB 622. M. Kosinskiy was supported in part by a grant from the Government of Thuringia. The authors thank Mr. M. Bastick and Mrs. E. Remdt for their help in sample preparation. Furthermore, the authors gratefully acknowledge Prof. Dr. P. Schaaf for the microhardness measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Physik and Institut für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien, Technische Universität Ilmenau, P.O. Box 100565, 98684, Ilmenau, Germany

    Mikhail Kosinskiy, Syed Imad-Uddin Ahmed, Yonghe Liu & Juergen A. Schaefer

  2. Institut für Werkstofftechnik and Institut für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien, Technische Universität Ilmenau, P.O. Box 100565, 98684, Ilmenau, Germany

    Maik Gubisch & Lothar Spiess

  3. Institut für Prozessmess- und Sensortechnik, Technische Universität Ilmenau, P.O. Box 100565, 98684, Ilmenau, Germany

    Rostyslav Mastylo

  4. European Patent Office, Bayerstr 115, 80335, Munich, Germany

    Yonghe Liu

Authors
  1. Mikhail Kosinskiy
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  2. Syed Imad-Uddin Ahmed
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  3. Yonghe Liu
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  4. Maik Gubisch
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  5. Rostyslav Mastylo
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  6. Lothar Spiess
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  7. Juergen A. Schaefer
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Correspondence to Mikhail Kosinskiy.

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Kosinskiy, M., Ahmed, S.IU., Liu, Y. et al. Friction and Wear Properties of WC/C Nano-Scale Multilayer Coatings on Technical Surfaces. Tribol Lett 44, 89–98 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-011-9826-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-011-9826-2

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