PROPERTIES OF THIN TIN FILMS DEPOSITED ONTO STAINLESS-STEEL BY AN IN-LINE DRY COATING PROCESS

A new coil-coating pilot plant, capable of utilizing ion plating, sput tering and plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD) processes , independently or in series, was developed and optimum conditions for TiN, TiC, AlxOy, SiOx and Cr coating were established. This paper is mostly concerned with the results of characterization (conducted in pa rallel by the authors' two institutions) of TiN films deposited by ion plating or sputtering onto type-304 stainless steel strips. In partic ular, the dependence of the basic properties such as chemical composit ion, structure, adhesion, and color on the coating process are discuss ed with respect to anti-corrosion, anti-wear, and decorative applicati ons. TiN coatings with a very attractive gold coloration were obtained ; they performed well in wear testing, but did not show satisfactory c orrosion resistance. However, it was found that the latter can be impr oved significantly by depositing a SiOx top layer by PACVD above the T iN coating. Thus the in-line dry coating processes are capable of prod ucing highly functional steel surfaces with decorative color and high corrosion resistance.