Effect of bias voltage on the tribocorrosion performance of TiAlSiN coatings on FH790 steel by arc ion plating

Abstract

Multi-arc ion plating was used to deposit TiAlSiN coatings with various structures modulated by bias voltage on the surface of FH790 steel. SEM, XRD, XPS, TEM, and nanoindentation were used to characterize the structural and mechanical properties of TiAlSiN coatings. The coatings are mainly composed of two crystalline phases: the h-AlN phase and the c-TiN phase. With an increasing bias voltage, the coating's preferred orientation shifted from (0002) to (112¯0). Si element in the coating formed the amorphous Si3N4 phase. The coating's indentation hardness increased from 22.05 ± 0.88GPa to 26.53 ± 0.62GPa when the bias voltage increased from -20 V to -80 V, while the surface roughness dropped from 212 nm to 74.2 nm. The increase of the bias voltage also resulted in a denser, finer crystal structure. Tribocorrrosion tests revealed that the TiAlSiN coatings can effectively enhance the tribocorrosion resistance of FH790 steel and there is a strong synergistic effect between corrosion and wear. The tribocorrosion resistance of the TiAlSiN coating gradually increases when the deposition bias voltage increases. The denser structure can better isolate the substrate and seawater, thereby improving the protection performance of the coating on the substrate.