CHARACTERIZATION OF SPUTTERED INCONEL-617 .1. COATINGS IN PLAN SECTION

Inconel 617 coatings 10 to 13/gmm thick were r.f. magnetron sputtered on to commercially pure α-titanium substrates without external bias or heat and examined in the as-deposited condition by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface finish of coatings was smooth with few nodular growth defects, while bend tests showed the coatings failed in a ductile manner. TEM showed that Inconel 617 coatings consisted of an fee solid solution with an average lattice parameter of 0.366nm. The through-thickness microstructure contained equiaxed grains with an average diameter of 50 nm, while XRD showed the coatings had a (1 1 1) orientation with respect to the substrate. Coatings contained a large amount of interfacial area, and had an average Knoop microhardness of 503 kg mm-2. © 1990 Chapman and Hall Ltd.