Abstract
The microstructure and the chemical composition of wear debris generated on TiN coatings have been investigated by analytical TEM in order to reveal the influence of the relative humidity on the tribochemical behaviour of these TiN coatings. Novel observations on wear debris generated at different sets of fretting test conditions are presented. The structure of such wear debris appears to be dependent on the relative humidity. Fully amorphous debris are generated at 10% RH, while at 85% RH the debris are nanocrystalline. At 50% RH the debris structure is dependent on the moment of formation. For comparison pin-on-disk tests were performed and the crystallization temperature of amorphous debris in dry air was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The effect of water vapour on the crystallization temperature was investigated by series of heat treatments. Water vapour decreases the crystallization temperature significantly.
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