Comparison of the adhesion and wear resistance of the PVD coatings

Purpose: of the paper was comparison of the adhesion and antiwear properties of the multilayer TiN/(Ti,Al)N PVD coatings deposited onto heat treated and plasma nitrided X37CrMoV5-1 type hot work tool steel. Design/methodology/approach: Hardness test of the investigated specimens from hot work steel in the heat treated state has been made using Rockwell method. The distribution of microhardness in the nitriding layer measured using Vickers micro-hardness testing method. The evaluation of the adhesion of coatings to the substrate was made using the scratch test. Wear resistance tests with the pin-on-disc method were carried out on the CSEM THT (High Temperature Tribometer) device at the room temperature and at the temperature of 500 degrees centigrade. The friction coefficient between the ball and disc was measured during the test. Findings: In case of the TiN(Ti,Al)N coating deposited onto the X37CrMoV5-1 nitrided hot work steel show a very good adhesion which has been revealed to the substrate material is comparison to the TiN/(Ti,Al)N coating deposited onto heat treated hot work steel. Taking into account the results of measurements, one can state that the lowest wear at certain conditions in both room and elevated temperatures show TiN(Ti,Al)N deposited onto plasma nitrided X37CrMo V5-1 hot work steel type. Practical implications: The investigation results will provide useful information to applying of the TiN/(Ti,Al)N PVD coating for the improvement of wear resistance of tools made from hot work steels. Originality/value: The paper contributes to better understanding the wear resistance at the elevated temperature to 500 degrees centigrade of the multilayer TiN/(Ti,Al)N PVD coating deposited onto heat treated and plasma nitrided hot work tool steel.