Silver-palladium alloy deposited by DC magnetron sputtering method as lubricant for high temperature application

The silver-palladium(Ag-Pd) alloy coating as a solid lubricant was investigated for its application to the high temperature stud bolts used in nuclear power plants. A hex bolt sample was prepared in the following steps: 1) bolt surface treatment using alumina grit blasting for cleaning and increasing the surface area; 2) nickel(Ni) film coating as a glue layer on the surface of the bolt; and 3) Ag-Pd alloy coating on the Ni film. The films were deposited by using a direct current(DC) magnetron sputtering system. The thickness and composition of the Ag-Pd alloy film have effect on the friction coefficient, which was determined using axial force measurement. A 500 nm-thick Ag-Pd (80:20, molar ratio) alloy film has the lowest friction coefficient of 0.109. A cyclic test was conducted to evaluate the durability of bolts coated with either the Ag-Pd (80:20) alloy film or N-5000 oil. In a cycle, the bolts were inserted into a block using a torque wrench, which was followed by heating and disassembling. After only one cycle, it was not possible to remove the bolts coated with the N-5000 oil from the block. However, the bolts coated with the Ag-Pd (80:20) alloy could be easily removed up until 15 cycles.