COMPARISONS OF CHARACTERIZATIONS AND TRIBOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF TIN AND CRN DEPOSITED BY CATHODIC ARC PLASMA DEPOSITION PROCESS

At the present time, TiN coating is widely used to improve wear- and c orrosion-resistance of working tools and mechanical components on an i ndustrial scale. Yet application of another ceramic coating, CrN, is s till limited in situations mated with Ti-, Cu- and Al-base alloys. Som e evidence shows CrN to possess properties superior to TiN. A series o f experiments were conducted, through a SRV wear test machine, to asse ss if CrN had the potential to substitute for TiN as mated with ferrou s metal. Studies of characterizations and properties of both ceramic f ilms are also presented in this report. The experimental results indic ated that CrN of optimum thickness worked much better than TiN under i dentical conditions. Thus, CrN is expected to be used as a good substi tute for TiN.