TRIBOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF ION-BEAM-MIXED FE/B MULTILAYERS ON M50 STEEL

A series of experiments were performed to evaluate the tribological performance of ion-beam-mixed multilayers of iron and boron deposited on hardened M50 steel. Under partially lubricated conditions, ion mixing was found to increase the duration of a low friction (less than 0.2) regime by forming hard iron borides that resisted wear and thereby maintained the original smooth surface. Under non-lubricated conditions, ion mixing reduced the wear rates but not the coefficient of friction. The relative humidity (RH) was also found to affect the wear of coated steel substrates significantly, with less wear in air environments occurring at 50% RH than at 0% RH. © 1990.