Effect of chromium nitride coating on the corrosion and wear resistance ofstainless steel

Ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) technique has been used to deposit chro mium nitride on the stainless steel substrates. Characterization and perfor mance of this coating was carried out by a round-robin test at various labo ratories. About 300 samples, prepared at Spire, USA, were distributed to 10 different laboratories. Characterization of coated materials, carried out using Rutherford backscattering (RBS), X-ray diffraction(XRD), glancing X-r ay diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron s pectroscopy (XPS), confirmed a well-adherent layer of chromium nitride with composition and thickness of Cr0.8N0.2 and 1.2 mu m, respectively. The per formance of the coating was tested by tribological tests: dynamic micro-ind entation, micro-hardness, wear and friction, and corrosion tests. The coati ng was found to be hard with good wear resistance and had enhanced resistan ce to corrosion in acid media. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re served.