Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of Stripe Patterned TiN Film Prepared with Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc Deposition (FCVAD)

Abstract

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the influence of the stripe interspace and applied load on the tribological behavior of stripe patterned TiN films. The stripe patterned TiN films are deposited on an H13 steel surface by masked deposition with the filtered cathodic vacuum arc discharge (FCVAD) technique. The surface micro morphology, chemical composition, crystal structure, and mechanical properties of the films is characterized using 3D white light interferometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffractometry (XRD), and a nano‐indentation tester, respectively. The tribological performance of patterned TiN is measured using a UMT‐5 tribometer, and the friction and wear mechanisms are analyzed, compared with that of the full TiN film and H13 steel substrate. The results show that the stripe patterned TiN films has better tribological properties than the full TiN film. These results are attributed to the synergistic effect between the surface pattern and the TiN film. The stripe interspace and the applied load has a more significant effect on the wear rate of the stripe patterned TiN films than the coefficient of friction of their friction pairs. A further study, however, is needed to analyze the relationship between the applied load and the wear rates of the stripe patterned TiN films.