Effects of tungsten addition on mechanical and tribological properties of carbon nitride prepared by DC magnetron sputtering

Carbon nitride coatings doped with tungsten were deposited on high speed steel disks by unbalanced DC magnetron sputtering using nitrogen-argon mixture gas. The coatings were deposited on three different types of interlayer (Ti, Ti/TiN and Ti/TiC), and the tungsten target current was varied from 0 to 0.9 A. Surface morphology of the coatings were measured by roughness testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the chemical composition and depth profile were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and glow discharge spectroscopy (GDS). Finally, the hardness (H) and elasticity (E) were measured by nanoindentation and a Rockwell indentation test, while the tribological properties were tested using a pin-on-disk tribometer. After all, the coatings were measured by cutting testing of tuning inserts and micro-drillers. It is found that all of the coatings are amorphous and have a thickness of approximately 1.5 μm. Moreover, the nitrogen content is around 30 at%, while the tungsten content varies in the range of 0-9 at%. In addition, the hardness values are in the range of 15-20 GPa and the elasticity varies from 236 to 274 GPa. A good correlation is observed between the wear resistance and the indentation adhesion level. Furthermore, it is found that the hardness is not significantly correlated to the tungsten content and the coatings deposited on the Ti/TiC interlayer have greater adhesion. Finally, the coatings generally have a very low coefficient of friction (0.01-0.3) and a wear coefficient as low as 10-6 mm3/Nm, and the CN/TiC coating reduced 41% and 43% of flank wear in the cutting testing of turning inserts and micro-drillers respectively.