Browsing by Author "Jeoffrey, Jecozale"

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    Friction and wear of a-C:H and a-C:H:Si coatings sliding against different counterpart materials under dry and moist environments
    (2024-05-19) Delfín, Francisco Andrés; Jeoffrey, Jecozale; Schachinger, Manuel; Forsich, Christian; Brühl, Sonia Patricia; Heim, Daniel
    The self-lubricating effect of DLC coatings is a very well-known feature, although they have yet to occupy a substantially influential position in mainstream tribological applications. This objective is increasingly critical due to the escalating worldwide focus on achieving energy efficiency, lowering fuel consumption and cutting environmentally harmful emissions. To reach these milestones, a deeper understanding of DLC coatings is required, namely regarding the intricate relationship of friction and wear rates within diverse tribosystems, where parameters such as relative humidity and the material of the counter body show decisive influence. In this work, DLC coatings were deposited using a modified commercially available PA-CVD system on AISI 4140 steel. Two kind of coatings were produced, a-C:H and a-C:H:Si, at temperatures of 450 °C and 550 °C. Process gas consisted of a mixture of argon, acetylene, and HMDSO as silicon precursor. Characterization was carried out by means of nanoindentation, Raman spectroscopy, as well as GDOES and EDX. Tribological behavior was evaluated by means of Pin-on-Disk, using the coated sample as the disk, a 12 N normal load, a speed of 0.4 m/s and a total sliding distance of 2000 m. Counterparts were 6 mm balls, of which three different materials were used: AISI 52100 bearing steel, Al2O3 and Si3N4. Test chamber was conditioned using forced air recirculation and beakers containing either water or regenerated silica gel to create a humid or a dry environment, respectively. Friction coefficient was registered during the entire test. The wear track was evaluated with optical and confocal microscopy, as well as SEM/EDX and Raman spectroscopy. Hardness and elastic modulus increased with deposition temperature, and the values were doubled with silicon doping. However, a lower friction coefficient and wear volume loss were found in Si-free samples. In general, the coatings showed varied responses to the different environments and counterparts: a-C:H showed oxidation with higher humidity, whereas a-C:H:Si exhibited high wear in the drier ambient, producing several peaks in the friction coefficient during the test. The steel counterpart exhibited a lubricious oxide layer that helped reduce the friction coefficient, thus performing better in the humid environment. The Si3N4 counterpart showed the highest adhesion when sliding against a-C:H:Si, although a rather low friction coefficient and wear was shown when testing the Si-free samples.