Investigation of Mechanical and Tribological Properties of TiNbN and TiVN Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering Method

Nickel alloys, especially Inconel, show good mechanical properties in a wide temperature range. But, the wear resistance of this alloys are fairly low. Due to high hardness, low friction coefficient and good wear resistance, transition metal nitride films are commonly used in industry. In this study; for the purpose of increasing the wear resistance of Inconel 600 substrate, TiNbN and TiVN films were coated on these substrates using Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering method. The structural properties of the films were analyzed using XRD, SEM and EDS, the mechanical properties were determined by nanohardness and scratch tests. Thefriction and wear properties were determined using the wear test method. The TiNbN and TiVN films exhibit a dense and columnar microstructure. According to XRD analyze results; TiVN (111) and TiNbN (111) were dominant phases for the TiVN and TiNbN films, respectively. Compared with the TiVN films, due to the higher film thickness and %N content, the dominant (111) orientation and the smaller grain size, the TiNbN films exhibited the higher hardness and better adhesion. The TiVN and TiNbN films considerably increased the wear resistance of Inconel 600 substrate. When compared with the TiVN films, the TiNbN films with the higher hardness and better adhesion significantly improved the tribological properties of the substrate with lower friction coefficient and lower wear rate.