Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9809938 | Surface and Coatings Technology | 2005 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
The mechanical properties and machining performance of Ti1âxAlxN-coated cutting tools have been investigated. Processing by arc evaporation using cathodes with a range of compositions was performed to obtain coatings with compositions x=0, x=0.25, x=0.33, x=0.50, x=0.66 and x=0.74. As-deposited coatings with xâ¤0.66 had metastable cubic structures, whereas x=0.74 yielded two-phase coatings consisting of cubic and hexagonal structures. The as-deposited and isothermally annealed coatings were characterised by nanoindentation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cutting tests revealing tool wear mechanisms were also performed. Results show that the Al content, x, promotes a (200) preferred crystallographic orientation and has a large influence on the hardness of as-deposited coatings. The high hardness (â¼37 GPa) and texture of the as-deposited Ti1âxAlxN coatings are retained for annealing temperatures up to 950 °C, which indicates a superior stability of this system compared to TiN and Ti(C,N) coatings. We propose that competing mechanisms are responsible for the effectively constant hardness: softening by residual stress relaxation through lattice defect annihilation is balanced by hardening from formation of a coherent nanocomposite structure of c-TiN and c-AlN domains by spinodal decomposition. This example of secondary-phase transformation (age-) hardening is proposed as a new route for advanced surface engineering, and for the development of future generation hard coatings.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Authors
A. Hörling, L. Hultman, M. Odén, J. Sjölén, L. Karlsson,