INCREASING THE WEAR RESISTANCE OF TITANIUM ALLOYS BY DEPOSITION OF A MODIFYING COATING (Zr,Nb)N

Abstract

The possibility of increasing the wear resistance of titanium alloy parts by depositing a zirconium-niobium-nitrogen [(Zr,Nb)N] coating with an adhesive Zr,Nb sublayer on their surfaces was investigated. Given that the Vickers hardness of this coating is HV = 2336 ± 115, and the value of the critical fracture load during the scratch test is L<sub>C2</sub> = 14 N, which is noticeably lower compared to nitride coatings deposited on a carbide or ceramic substrate, the (Zr,Nb)N coating provides a noticeable increase in wear resistance. The wear rate of the uncoated sample was 2.5 times higher compared to the (Zr,Nb) N-coated sample. Coating deposition allows simultaneously reducing the friction coefficient (from 0.45 for an uncoated sample to 0.33 for a coated sample) and increasing the wear resistance.