Evaluation of scratch resistance of nitride coatings on Ti grade 2

Hard coatings limiting direct contact of material susceptible to wear are applied in order to improve resistance to abrasive wear. The key importance in using anti-wear coatings has their adhesion to substrate and differences in mechanical properties of the coating and substrate, particularly their Young's module. Studies have analyzed merits of applying nitride coatings TiAlN, AlTiN and hybrid coating TiAlN/TiSiN on titanium substrate ASTM grade 2. For that purpose, nanohardness and scratch tests for each coating were conducted. Apparatus of Anton Paar Company was used in these studies -ultra-high resolution nanoindenter and micro combi tester. Due to the fact, that surface roughness is a significant parameter affecting properties of the surface layer, the first appointed parameters were Sa roughness with a use of optical profilometer Bruker Contour GT. Obtained results suggest the best adhesive grip of hybrid coating TiAlN/TiSiN compared with other tested. The weakest adhesion to titanium grade 2 has TiAlN coating, on which in scratch test has been observed significantly faster total damage, in comparison with other tested. Research results will provide the input data for numerical analysis, enabling fast receiving effects of applying tested coatings without the need to carry out time-consuming research.