Ultra-low carbon (ULC) steel modified by triode plasma nitriding and PVD coating: Effects on micro-abrasive wear behavior

Ultra-low carbon (ULC) steels exhibit low yield strength and excellent formability. Plasma Assisted Physical Vapor Deposition (PAPVD) is a potential coating method for enhancing the strength at the surface of these steels [1]. However, when deposited onto low strength alloys PAPVD coatings may undergo premature failure if the substrate plastically deforms under heavy load. Extra load support is usually required for hard coatings to perform satisfactorily. Combined treatments involving plasma nitriding and PAPVD coating have been used to improve the load-bearing capacity of hard films [2]. This work describes the characterization and micro-abrasive wear behavior of Ti-stabilized ULC steels after surface modification by D.C Triode Plasma Nitriding (DC-TPN) and sequential coating with CrAlN by Electron Beam Plasma Assisted Physical Vapor Deposition (EB-PAPVD). Ti-ULC steel, plasma nitrided Ti-ULC steel and Ti-ULC duplex system were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD analyses, micro-hardness and instrumented indentation hardness measurements, and stylus profilometry. Micro-abrasive wear tests were performed in fixed-ball configuration up to 1350 revolutions using SiC abrasive slurry and a 25 mm diameter - AISI 52100 steel ball. Micro-abrasion mechanisms are presented and discussed. Nitrided steel and duplex systems were, respectively, 2.6 and 3.5 times harder than the untreated Ti-ULC steel. Wear coefficient of nitrided steel was 36% lower than that of the parent Ti-ULC steel. Regression analyses were used to calculate substrate (ks) and coating (kc) wear coefficients for the duplex system, the latter being 6.5 times lower than that of the nitrided steel. Coating thickness (3 μm max.) was determined from inner and outer diameter measurements of the wear scars. Results indicate that it is feasible to manufacture duplex Ti-ULC steel via PAPVD, as significant improvements in wear resistance were recorded for both nitrided and duplex-treated steels. Duplex treatment clearly was the most effective method to enhance the wear resistance of ULC steels.