Characteristics and performance of Ti(C, N) coatings synthesized by magnetron sputtering technique

Homogeneous and gradient Ti(C, N) coatings were synthesized using magnetron sputtering technique. The microstructure and properties of the two types of coatings were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), secondary ion mass spectroanalyzer (SIMS), nano-indentation and scratch tests and the comparisons were conducted. The results have shown that the coatings between homogenous and gradient Ti(C, N) are of δ-(NaCl) structure and show the columnar crystallites. The concentration of carbon increases and the concentration of nitrogen decreases with increasing in the thickness of the gradient Ti(C, N). The gradient Ti(C, N) coating exhibits better adhesion to substrates, while the homogeneous Ti(C, N) exhibits higher nano-hardness compared to the gradient Ti(C, N) coating, due to solution hardening. The homogeneous Ti(C, N) coated inserts behave better wear resistance in continuous turning but worse performance in interrupted cutting.