Erosion–corrosion wear of Cr/CrN multi-layer coating deposited on AISI-304 stainless steel using the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) sputtering system

The erosion–corrosion behavior of CrN/Cr multilayer coating produced by unbalanced magnetron (UBM) sputtering over AISI-304 stainless steel and over bare steel was studied using the procedure indicated in ASTM G119-09. The results indicated that the total wear rate could be reduced by half with respect to bare stainless steel when this kind of coating is used. Also highlighted was a strong reduction in the synergistic effect, and it was shown that the pure corrosion effect for the evaluated impact angles (30° and 90°) was similar. The synergistic effect made the greatest contribution when bare steel was evaluated at 30°. For all conditions, erosion was the most important wear mechanism.

► Protective effect of a CrN/Cr coating applied on AISI-304 steel was evaluated.
► Low (30°) and high (90°) particle impact angle conditions were evaluated.
► Corrosion, erosion and synergistic effects were evaluated by ASTM G119 and SEM.
► Total wear rate could be reduced by half using this coating.
► Erosion was the most important found wear mechanism.