The effect of duplex surface treatment on erosion performance of QRO 90 Supreme steel

Abstract

In this study, CrN and TiAlN thin films were deposited on plasma-nitrided QRO 90 Supreme hot work tool steel by physical vapor deposition process and analysed with regard to their erosion performance under hydro-abrasive erosion conditions. The as-received specimens were quenched to room temperature from 1050°C and tempered gradually at 605°C for 2 h and at 560°C for 4 h. These specimens were plasma-nitrided for 10 h at 500°C at a pressure of 250 Pa in a gas mixture of 80% N2 + 20% H2 and then coated with TiAlN or CrN coatings by cathode arc evaporation. The specimens were characterized by metallographic techniques, SEM, EDS and micro-hardness test. Plasma nitriding and duplex surface treatments significantly increased the hardness of the specimens and thus significantly reduced the erosion of the specimens. The hardnesses on the surface of plasma-nitrided, CrN-deposited and TiAlN-deposited QRO 90 steels were 1092 HV0.025, 2436 HV0.025 and 3578 HV0.025, respectively. TiAlN-coated specimens were about 17-fold harder than the as-received specimens and over 3-fold harder than the plasma-nitrided specimens. The erosion resistance of CrN-coated specimens was increased by a factor of 3.6 and 1.5 compared with that of the as-received and plasma-nitrided specimens, respectively. A brittle fracture phenomenon was observed on the eroded surface of the duplex-treated specimens while a ductile material removal was observed on the as-received and the tempered specimens. The plasma-nitrided specimens showed a mixed behaviour of ductility and brittleness.