Tribological properties of ta-C films deposited on hard metal substrate

Diamond-like carbon films are widely used in engineering application where dry and boundary sliding conditions are encountered. They have attractive tribological properties as low friction, high hardness, chemical inertness [1-3]. In this paper the results of investigations of the physical and tribological properties of ta-C coatings deposited on hard substrate are presented. For comparison a series of tests was Carried out with carbide tungsten thermal spray coatings. Experiments on wear and friction ware conducted on different kinematical schemes such as "plane-plane" and "sleeve-sleeve" in condition without lubricant and in water with abrasive respectively. It was found that ta-C films have a lower speed of wear and coefficient of friction especially without lubricant and higher critical load as compared with thermal spray coatings.