TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF THIN NANO TUNGSTEN CARBIDE FILM DEPOSITED ON 316L STAINLESS STEEL SURFACE

Abstract

This study presents the tribological behavior of austenitic 316L Stainless Steel (SS) coated with nano Tungsten Carbide (WC). The nano WC particles were prepared by mechano chemical method. The tungsten and toluene have been ball milled for 40[Formula: see text]h led to the synthesis of WC nano particles. An average particles size of 48[Formula: see text]nm was achieved. The prepared nano WC particles were deposited on 316L SS substrate as a thin film using DC magnetron sputtering process. The thickness of the nano WC coating was 5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m. The synthesized nano WC particles and the thin nano WC film are characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) technique. Vickers microhardness test was conducted to evaluate the microhardness of the thin film. A high microhardness value of 2242 HV[Formula: see text] was observed. The coated specimens are subjected to wear test using pin on disc setup and the tribological parameters such as friction and wear are analyzed. The results were compared with uncoated 316L SS specimen and micro WC particles coated 316L SS. The nano WC coated 316L SS possess high hardness and better wear resistance when compared with 316L SS and micro WC coated 316L SS specimen.