Microstructure and corrosion behavior of TiC/Ti(CN)/TiN multilayer CVD coatings on high strength steels

Titanium carbide/titanium carbonitride/titanium nitride (TiC/Ti(CN)/TiN) multilayer coatings are prepared on the surface of three high-strength steels (35CrMo, 42CrMo, and 40CrNiMo) by chemical vapor deposition method. The fracture morphology, elemental distribution, phase composition, micro-hardness, and adhesion of the multilayer film are analyzed. The hydrogen sulfide stress corrosion resistance of the coating is evaluated by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers saturated hydrogen sulfide solution immersion test. A test simulating the environment of the natural gas wells with high temperature and pressure in Luojiazhai in Sichuan is also performed. The results show that the multilayer coatings have dense structures, ∼11 μm thickness, 24.5 ± 2.0 GPa nano-hardness, and ∼70 N adhesion. The corrosion sample also shows no brittle failure induced by stress corrosion after treatment with the coating. Gravimetric analysis shows that the deposition of TiC/Ti(CN)/TiN multilayer coatings results in a corrosion rate reduction of at least 50 times compared with the high-strength steel substrate. A preliminary analysis on this phenomenon is conducted.