WEAR BEHAVIOR OF I-CARBON COATINGS

The wear behaviour of i-carbon coatings on steel and ceramic specimens was investigated under conditions of continuous and oscillating sliding. It was found that both the counterbody material and the operating conditions (sliding velocity and temperature) as well as the environmental humidity have a pronounced influence on the tribological behaviour. The carbon layers show excellent tribological behaviour with low values of friction and wear provided that the frictional specific power input is below a certain level (approximately P(F) < 5 W mm-2). With respect to the environmental humidity, the carbon layers behaved best under conditions of high humidity. Surface studies by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis indicated that the carbon bonding states of the coatings remain stable during the tribological loading below the critical transition conditions. Studies of the transferred carbon layers indicated that selective tribo-oxidative processes have occurred during the tribological loading.