Tribofilm formation and tribological properties of TiC and nanocomposite TiAlC coatings

In a recent work a concept for self lubricating low friction TiC and nanocomposite TiAlC coatings was developed. Here we further investigate the mechanical and tribological properties of these coatings. Under identical deposition conditions, the addition of Al initiates the formation of a nanocomposite consisting of (Ti,Al)C grains in an amorphous carbon matrix. The coefficient of friction is lowered from ∼0.2 to below 0.1 in a pin-on-disc test against steel with unaffected coating wear rate. The lower friction is attributed to a more extensive formation of amorphous carbon and graphitisation on both the counter surface and in the coating wear track. The addition of Al also reduces coating hardness, Young's modulus and the residual stress, which can be explained by the weak carbide-forming ability of Al and the formation of a nanocomposite microstructure.