Abstract
In the aluminum die casting process, erosion, corrosion, soldering, and die sticking have a significant influence on tool life and product quality. A number of coatings such as TiN, CrN, and (Cr,Al)N deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) have been employed to act as protective coatings due to their high hardness and chemical stability. In this study, the wear performance of two nanocomposite AlTiN and AlCrN coatings with different structures were evaluated. These coatings were deposited on aluminum die casting mold tool substrates (AISI H13 hot work steel) by PVD using pulsed cathodic arc evaporation, equipped with three lateral arc-rotating cathodes (LARC) and one central rotating cathode (CERC). The research was performed in two stages: in the first stage, the outlined coatings were characterized regarding their chemical composition, morphology, and structure using glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Surface morphology and mechanical properties were evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanoindentation. The coating adhesion was studied using Mersedes test and scratch testing. During the second stage, industrial tests were carried out for coated die casting molds. In parallel, tribological tests were also performed in order to determine if a correlation between laboratory and industrial tests can be drawn. All of the results were compared with a benchmark monolayer AlCrN coating. The data obtained show that the best performance was achieved for the AlCrN/Si3N4 nanocomposite coating that displays an optimum combination of hardness, adhesion, soldering behavior, oxidation resistance, and stress state. These characteristics are essential for improving the die mold service life. Therefore, this coating emerges as a novelty to be used to protect aluminum die casting molds.
Highlights
Aluminum is a widely used material in the automotive industry
When considering the different characteristics of the nanocomposite coatings during service, the goal of this paper is to present the nanocomposite (AlTiN/Si3 N4 and AlCrN/Si3 N4 ) coatings that have been deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) as novel coatings for the aluminum die casting process
The morphology of the surfaces was evaluated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
Summary
The use of special aluminum alloys as materials to manufacture components and automotive parts allows for the construction of light-weight components that lead to an overall weight reduction, and to reduced fuel consumption [1]. These aluminum alloys are commonly cast using the high pressure die casting. During the casting of aluminum alloys, the cyclic process leads to thermocyclic loads on the tool surface from T = 90 ◦ C at cooling up to T = 600 ◦ C at die casting In this way, the tools are exposed to erosion, corrosion, soldering, or die sticking due to the frequent contact between the tool surface and the casting alloy. Any one of these phenomena can result in damage to the die and poor surface quality of the casting, as well as a notable decrease in the productivity and efficiency of the casting operation [3]
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