Tribological investigation of low friction duplex surface treatment based on modified molybdenum disulphide coating

Abstract

One of the numerous possibilities to decrease friction and wear of sliding surfaces consists of the application of two-step (so called duplex) technologies. A novel duplex technology of gas sulphonitriding of a 41CrAlMo7 steel with subsequent deposition of a low friction MoS₂(Ti,W) coating by means of non-reactive magnetron deposition is described in the present paper. A pin and vee block geometry and a relevant Falex apparatus were chosen for implementation of a linear friction contact under heavy loadings. For comparison, five other treatments of machine parts applied in the industry were used in the paper as well. As a result of the tests, only the specimens after the proposed novel duplex treatment based on sulphonitriding and a low friction MoS₂(Ti,W) coating deposition outlasted the full load of 3500 N during 6 min without any failure from all the six different treatments investigated in the work.

Keywords:

• Friction and wear
• Duplex treatment
• Molybdenum disulphide
• Sulphonitriding

The results presented in this paper have been obtained within the project ‘KomCerMet’ (contract no. POIG.01·03·01-14-013/08-00 with the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education) in the framework of the Operational Programme Innovative Economy 2007–2013.