THE EFFECTS OF BEAM ENERGY AND SUBSTRATE-TEMPERATURE ON THE TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF HARD-CARBON FILMS ON ALUMINUM

Hard-carbon films were applied on flat 6061-T6 aluminum substrates using a broad-beam ion source operating on methane and producing carbonaceous ions with energies that varied from 250 to 1050 eV. Films were evaluated using a reciprocating alumina ball-on-flat sliding wear tester operating in an ambient air test environment. The films facilitated substantial reductions in friction coefficients to 0.08-0.2 from 0.4-0.7 for uncoated aluminum. At a sufficiently high normal load. the films failed and friction coefficients increased to the higher range. The best film caused this critical normal load to increase from less than 0.1 N for untreated aluminum to greater than 30 N. A near-optimal beam ion energy (450 eV) was identified for good quality films. At lower energies (e.g. 250 eV) films were discontinuous, while at higher energies (e.g. 1050 eV) high sputter rates limited film growth. When an aluminum flat was held at low temperature during processing, the films were smooth and adhered well, but they became rougher and adhered poorly as the temperature was increased above approximately 300-degrees-C.