WEAR BEHAVIOR OF MOLYBDENUM-DISULFIDE DIFFUSION COATINGS UNDER VACUUMCONDITIONS

Strong adhesion is a particular trait of an effective thin film solid lubricant, A new technological process for the synthesis of MoS2 diffu sion coatings has been developed to improve the adhesion. It allows fo rmation of the solid lubricant layer with uniform thickness even for d etails having complex geometrical shapes. The coating consists of the MoS2 as a base layer and the transition zone alloyed with sulphides of substrate elements (Fe, Ni, Cr, etc.), The total thickness of the dif fusion coating can be varied between 10-100 mu m. The wear intensity o f the MoS2 diffusion coatings is sufficiently low in comparison with t hat of the traditional MoS2 coatings. The main wear mechanism of the M oS2 diffusion coatings is fatigue wear caused by crack generation. The technology developed is promising for improvement of serviceability, reliability and durability of mechanical units (bearings, gears, seals , etc.) working under vacuum conditions, under high loads and over a w ide temperature range.