Mechanical property evaluation of cathodic arc plasma-deposited CrN thin films on Fe-Mn-Al-C alloys

Chromium nitride is a promising hard coating applied in forming, drawing and plastic molding industries due to its good thermal stability and excellent resistance to wear and corrosion. An austenitic Fe-30Mn-MAl-1C alloy was coated with a CrN film by a cathodic arc plasma deposition process. The mechanical and adhesion properties were evaluated by microhardness, scratch, nanoindentation, Daimler-Benz Rockwell-C adhesion and pin-on-disk wear tests. The microhardness of CrN film reaches 23 10 +/- 100 HK under a 10-gf load. The elastic modulus of the CrN film is 290 GPa, measured with a nanoindenter under a 3000-muN load. The adhesion of CrN film deposited on Fe-Mn-Al-C substrate is observed to be better than RF1. The wear resistance of the Fe-Mn-Al-C substrate is also significantly improved by the presence of the CrN film. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.