Sliding wear of non-hydrogenated diamond-like carbon coatings against magnesium

Magnesium alloys are of increasing interest to the automobile industry for their potential in reducing vehicle weight, and in turn, improving fuel economy and lowering emissions. It follows that improving the magnesium manufacturing processes will promote greater use of magnesium alloys in automobiles. In recent years, diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings have attracted attention for their low coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rates. The implementation of DLC coatings on tool and die surfaces may help increase the efficiency of magnesium component manufacturing processes (such as cutting and sheet forming) and also improve the surface quality of the finished products.In this study, the dry sliding wear behaviour of magnetron sputtered non-hydrogenated DLC coatings against Mg (> 99.9 wt.%) was investigated using a vacuum pin-on-disc tribometer. Tests were performed in ambient air (28% RH) and in argon, under a constant load of 5 N and at a sliding speed of 0.12 m/s. In argon, the non-hydrogenated DLC coatings showed a very low COF of 0.05 after an initial running-in period. Carbonaceous material transfer from the non-hydrogenated DLC to the contact surface of the Mg pin was observed in argon. Changing the test atmosphere from argon to ambient air increased the COF to 0.40, which was accompanied by the formation of oxidized Mg debris and an increased wear rate. The friction and wear mechanisms of non-hydrogenated DLC coatings against Mg are proposed to rationalize experimental observations.