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Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry

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A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 34374

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Prof. Dr. Sergey N. Grigoriev

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Department of High-Efficiency Processing Technology, Moscow State University of Technology, 127055 Moscow, Russia
Interests: processing by concentrated energy flows; laser processing; electrophysical machining; heat and hardening treatment; surface finishing and coating; powder metallurgy; nanomaterials; nanocoatings and thin films; thermal spray technologies; process diagnostics and monitoring
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Dear colleagues,

The innovative coating and surface hardening technologies developed in recent years allow obtaining practically any complex of physical–mechanical and crystal–chemical properties of the metalworking tool surface layer. Today, the scientific approach related to the improvement of the operational characteristics of the tool surface layers produced from traditional materials in the tool industry, following the creation of new instrumental materials, is an extremely costly and sufficiently long-lasting process. Different technological techniques, such as coatings (physical and chemical methods), surface hardening and alloying (chemical-thermal treatment, implantation), a combination of the listed methods, and other solutions are used for this. Further, diversified energy sources (vacuum arc, laser beam, etc.) and varied working mediums (vacuum, gas–vapor medium, liquid solutions, etc.) can be used for coating and surface hardening.

The high efficiency of this approach may be explained by the fact that under the diversified operating conditions of the metalworking tool, in all cases, the most loaded is its surface layer. First, precisely its properties define the workability of the tool piece during the machining of a part. It is evident that there is no all-purpose method for coating and surface hardening: Everything is very particular for each type of tool piece and its operating conditions.

It should additionally be emphasized that the metalworking tool as an object of research was not chosen accidentally. Production experience shows that even with the use of the most advanced machine tools, it is not possible to achieve high technical and economical rates of the machining process of the part with a low work resource of the tool. Diverse conditions of the tool operation bring on diverse injuries and failures of the technological system. At the same time, the wear rate of the tool is significantly higher than the wear rate of the machine tool parts and units. Therefore, the operational ability of the technological system as a whole depends precisely on the used metalworking cutting and die tool. The roles of the tool multiply when it comes to machining composite materials, high-hardened steels, chrome-nickel, titan, or other hard-to-machine alloys.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a review of the current state of the research and developments in the field of coatings and surface hardening technologies for cutting and die tools that can ensure a substantial increase of the work resource and reliability of the tool, an increase in productivity of machining, accuracy, and quality of the machined products, reduction of the material capacity of the production, and other important manufacturing factors. In so doing, the main emphasis should be on the results of the engineering works that have had a prosperous approbation in laboratory or real manufacturing conditions.

Some of the topics of particular interest to the Special Issue are as follows:

Development of the self-adapting in the process of contact interaction with the machining material coatings through the formation of solid lubricants based on oxides and other compounds;
Development of coatings and processes of the surface hardening of the tool intended for formation of hard-to-process materials such as composite materials, high-hardened steels, chrome–nickel, titan, and other alloys with unique properties;
Application of diverse concentrated flows of energy (vacuum arc, laser beam, etc.) for implementation of new processes of coating and surface hardening of the tool, including combined processes;
Original technology equipment and setups for coatings and surface hardening of the tool, including low-temperature techniques;
Study of the influences of the physical–mechanical and crystal–chemical properties of the surface layer transformed by coatings and surface hardening on the stress–strain state and character of the tool wear in the conditions of action of the various heat and force loads;
Certification and testing methods for the tools after coatings and surface hardening; Successful experience of the leading production enterprises in the introduction of the innovative technologies of coatings and surface hardening of the cutting and die tool.

Prof. Dr. Sergey N. Grigoriev
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 34519 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Application of Adaptive Materials and Coatings to Increase Cutting Tool Performance: Efficiency in the Case of Composite Powder High Speed Steel

by Sergey N. Grigoriev, Mars S. Migranov, Yury A. Melnik, Anna A. Okunkova, Sergey V. Fedorov, Vladimir D. Gurin and Marina A. Volosova

Coatings 2021, 11(7), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11070855 - 16 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3222

Abstract

The paper proposes a classification of adaptive materials and coatings for tool purposes, showing the ability to adapt to external heat and power influences, thereby improving tool life. Creating a cutting tool made of composite powder high speed steels containing refractory TiC, TiCN, and Al₂O₃ compounds for milling 41CrS4 steel demonstrated the effectiveness of the adaptive materials. The tool material characteristics under the external loads’ influence and the surface layer adaptation to the heat–power exposure conditions were shown by the temperature field study using a semiartificial microthermocouple method (the level of fields is reduced by 20%–25% for 80% HSS + 20% TiCN), frictional interaction high-temperature tribometry (the coefficient of friction did not exceed 0.45 for 80% HSS + 20% TiCN at +20 and 600 °C), laboratory performance tests, and spectrometry of the surface layer secondary structures. Spectral analysis shows the highest spectrum intensity of TiC₂ after 5 min of running in. After 20 min of milling (V = 82 m/min, f = 0.15 mm/tooth), dicarbide decomposes and transits to thermally stable secondary phase films of good lubricity such as TiO (maximum) and TiN (partially). There was an increase in tool life of up to 2 times (>35 min for 80% HSS + 20% TiCN), and a decrease in the roughness of up to 2.9 times (R_a less than 4.5 µm after 25 min of milling). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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27 pages, 8793 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Development of DLC-Coated Solid SiAlON/TiN Ceramic End Mills for Nickel Alloy Machining: Problems and Prospects

by Sergey N. Grigoriev, Marina A. Volosova, Sergey V. Fedorov, Anna A. Okunkova, Petr M. Pivkin, Pavel Y. Peretyagin and Artem Ershov

Coatings 2021, 11(5), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11050532 - 29 Apr 2021

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 5469

Abstract

The study is devoted to the development and testing of technological principles for the manufacture of solid end mills from ceramics based on a powder composition of α-SiAlON, β-SiAlON, and TiN additives, including spark plasma sintering powder composition, diamond sharpening of sintered ceramic blanks for shaping the cutting part of mills and deposition of anti-friction Si-containing diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings in the final stage. A rational relationship between the components of the powder composition at spark plasma sintering was established. The influence of optimum temperature, which is the most critical sintering parameter, on ceramic samples’ basic physical and mechanical properties was investigated. DLC coatings’ role in changing the surface properties of ceramics based on SiAlON, such as microrelief, friction coefficient, et cetera, was studied. A comparative analysis of the efficiency of two tool options, such as developed samples of experimental mills made of SiAlON/TiN and commercial samples ceramic mills based on SiAlON, doped with stabilizing additives containing Yb when processing nickel alloys (NiCr20TiAl alloy was used as an example). DLC coatings’ contribution to the quantitative indicators of the durability of ceramic mills and the surface quality of machined products made of nickel alloy is shown. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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17 pages, 6924 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combined Processing of Micro Cutters Using a Beam of Fast Argon Atoms in Plasma

by Alexander Metel, Yury Melnik, Enver Mustafaev, Ilya Minin and Petr Pivkin

Coatings 2021, 11(4), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11040465 - 16 Apr 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2353

Abstract

We present a new method for coating deposition on micro cutters without an increase in their cutting edges radii caused by the deposition. For this purpose, the cutting edges are sharpened before the coating deposition with a concentrated beam of fast argon atoms. The sharpening decreases the initial radius and, hence, limits its value after the coating deposition. The concentrated beam of fast argon atoms is generated using an immersed in the gas discharge plasma concave grid under a negative high voltage. Ions accelerated from the plasma by the grid pass through the grid holes and are concentrated in the focal point of the grid. As a result of the charge exchange in the space charge sheaths of the grid, they are transformed into fast atoms. A uniform sputtering by the fast atoms of the micro-cutter surface reduces the radius of its cutting edge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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12 pages, 6498 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Geometric Surface Structure of EN X153CrMoV12 Tool Steel after Finish Turning Using PCBN Cutting Tools

by Michał Ociepa, Mariusz Jenek and Piotr Kuryło

Coatings 2021, 11(4), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11040428 - 07 Apr 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1829

Abstract

The article presents the results of studying the effects of coated (TiN, TiAlN) and uncoated polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) machining blades on the key geometric structure parameters of the surface of hardened and tempered EN X153CrMoV12 steel after finish turning. A comparative analysis of the use of coated and coated cutting tools in finish turning of hardened steels was made. Tool materials based on polycrystalline cubic boron nitride PCBN (High-CBN; Low-CBN) have been described and characterized. The advantages of using TiN and TiAlN-coated cutting tools compared to uncoated were demonstrated. The lowest influence of the feed on the values of all tested roughness parameters was noted for surfaces treated with TiN- and TiAlN-coated tools (both with 50 vol.% of CBN). For uncoated tools (60 vol.% of CBN) for feeds f = 0.2 and 0.3 mm/rev., the highest values of R_a and R_z roughness parameters were found. Moreover, the lack of protective coating contributed to the occurrence of intense adhesive wear on the flank surface, which was also in the range of the feed values f = 0.2 and 0.3 mm/rev. The analysis of material surface after treatment with the uncoated tools with the feed f = 0.2 mm/rev. showed the occurrence of the phenomenon of lateral material flow and numerous chip deflections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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8 pages, 1887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential of High-Fluence Ion Irradiation for Processing and Recovery of Diamond Tools

by Anatoly M. Borisov, Valery A. Kazakov, Eugenia S. Mashkova, Mikhail A. Ovchinnikov, Sergey N. Grigoriev and Igor V. Suminov

Coatings 2020, 10(12), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10121243 - 17 Dec 2020

Viewed by 1735

Abstract

The graphitization and surface growth of synthetic diamonds by high-fluence irradiation with 30 keV argon and carbon ions have been experimentally studied. scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) show removal of traces of mechanical polishing. The ion-induced roughness does not exceed 20 nm. Raman spectroscopy and the measurement of electrical conductivity confirm the graphitization of the surface layer when irradiated with argon ions at the temperature of 230 °C and the diamond structure of the synthesized layer when irradiated with carbon ions at the temperature of 650 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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13 pages, 7148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Properties of Ti-TiN-(Ti,Cr,Mo,Al)N Multilayered Composite Coating with Wear-Resistant Layer of Nanolayer Structure

by Sergey Grigoriev, Alexey Vereschaka, Filipp Milovich, Nikolay Sitnikov, Nikolay Andreev, Jury Bublikov, Catherine Sotova, Gaik Oganian and Ilya Sadov

Coatings 2020, 10(12), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10121236 - 16 Dec 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2166

Abstract

The article describes the results of an investigation focused on the properties of the Ti-TiN-(Ti,Cr,Mo,Al)N multilayered composite coating with a wear-resistant layer of nanolayer structure. A transmission electron microscope was used to study the coating structure. The examination of the phase composition using selected area diffraction electron pattern has detected the presence of two phases, including c-(Ti,Cr,Mo,Al)N and h-AlN. The cutting properties of the tool with the coating under consideration were studied during the turning of AISI 1045 steel at v_c = 300 m/min, f = 0.25 mm/rev, and a_p = 1.0 mm. After 16 min of cutting, the wear rate for the tool with the Ti-TiN-(Ti,Cr,Mo,Al)N coating was 1.9 times lower compared to the wear rate for the tool with the (Ti,Al)N commercial monolithic coating. As a result of the investigation focused on the fracture pattern on the coating during the cutting, the brittle nature of the fracture has been detected with a noticeable effect of adhesive fatigue mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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15 pages, 3545 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Influence of Microdroplets on the Coatings Nanolayer Structure

by Sergey Grigoriev, Alexey Vereschaka, Filipp Milovich, Nikolay Sitnikov, Nikolay Andreev, Jury Bublikov, Catherine Sotova and Ilya Sadov

Coatings 2020, 10(12), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10121204 - 10 Dec 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1884

Abstract

The paper presents the results of studies focused on the specific features typical for the formation of the shape and structure of microdroplets embedded into the structure of the Ti–TiN–(Ti,Cr,Mo,Al)N and Ti–TiN–(Ti,Al,Nb,Zr)N coatings during their deposition. Three main microdroplet shapes—a sphere, a tear, and a lens—have been considered. The specific features typical for the formation of secondary layered structures on the surface of some microdroplets have also been examined. As a result of the conducted investigations, with the use of scanning and transmission electron microscopy, the influence of microdroplets on the distortion of the nanolayer structure of the coatings was studied. A hypothesis has been proposed concerning a relationship between the microdroplet shape and the presence or absence of secondary structures and the microdroplet sizes and weight, as well as the conditions in the unit chamber during the movement of a microdroplet from a cathode to the deposition surface. Based on the study focused on the shape of the microdroplet core and the specific features typical for the formation of the secondary structure around it, a hypothesis has been proposed, according to which, for some microdroplets, it takes much more time than previously assumed for the movement from a cathode to the deposition surface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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15 pages, 4276 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Mathematical Modeling of Carbon Flux Parameters for Low-Pressure Vacuum Carburizing with Medium-High Alloy Steel

by Haojie Wang, Jing Liu, Yong Tian, Zhaodong Wang and Xiaoxue An

Coatings 2020, 10(11), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10111075 - 09 Nov 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2372

Abstract

Low-pressure vacuum carburizing adopts a pulse process mode to improve the carburizing efficiency and reduces gas and energy consumption. Carbon flux is the key to accurately control the time of strong infiltration and diffusion in each pulse. In order to obtain the carbon fluxes with various materials under diffident carburizing process conditions, an evenly segmented carbon flux method is proposed. A systematic study with each model using different materials (12Cr2Ni4A, 16Cr3NiWMoVNbE, and 18Cr2Ni4WA represent different initial carbon concentrations and different alloy compositions), carburizing temperatures, and carburizing pressures to determine the effect of these conditions on carbon flux is conducted. Compared with traditional segmented carbon flux method, an evenly segmented carbon flux method can predict the actual carbon flux more precisely and effectively in order to finely control the pulse carburization process. The paper also indicates that carbon fluxes increase with the increase of pressure. The optimal carburization pressure for low-pressure vacuum carburization is 300 Pa. Raising the carburization temperature to 980 °C instead of 920 °C can increase effective carbon flux by more than 30%. Among the material compositions, alloy content has the biggest impact over the carbon, initial carbon concentration the second, and saturated carbon concentration the third biggest impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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25 pages, 5151 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of DLC Coatings Deposited by PECVD Technology on the Wear Resistance of Carbide End Mills and Surface Roughness of AlCuMg2 and 41Cr4 Workpieces

by Sergey N. Grigoriev, Marina A. Volosova, Sergey V. Fedorov and Mikhail Mosyanov

Coatings 2020, 10(11), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10111038 - 28 Oct 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3149

Abstract

The primary purpose of this work was to study the effectiveness of using diamond-like coatings (DLC) to increase the wear resistance of carbide end mills and improve the surface quality of the processed part when milling aluminum alloy and low-carbon steel. The functional role of forming an adhesive sublayer based on (CrAlSi)N immediately before the application of the external DLC film by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technology in the composition of a multicomponent gas mixture containing tetramethylsilane was established in the article. The article shows the degree of influence of the adhesive sublayer on important physical, mechanical, and structural characteristics of DLCs (hardness, modulus of elasticity, index of plasticity, and others). A quantitative assessment of the effect of single-layer DLCs and double-layer (CrAlSi)N/DLCs on the wear rate of end mills during operation and the surface roughness of machined parts made of aluminum alloy AlCuMg2 and low-carbon steel 41Cr4 was performed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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16 pages, 8996 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Structure, Oxidation Resistance, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of N- and C-Doped Ta-Zr-Si-B Hard Protective Coatings Obtained by Reactive D.C. Magnetron Sputtering of TaZrSiB Ceramic Cathode

by Ph. V. Kiryukhantsev-Korneev, A. D. Sytchenko, S. A. Vorotilo, V. V. Klechkovskaya, V. Yu. Lopatin and E. A. Levashov

Coatings 2020, 10(10), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10100946 - 30 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2147

Abstract

Coatings in the Ta-Zr-Si-B-C-N system were produced by magnetron sputtering of a TaSi₂-Ta₃B₄-(Ta,Zr)B₂ ceramic target in the Ar medium and Ar-N₂ and Ar-C₂H₄ gas mixtures. The structure and composition of coatings were studied using scanning electron microscopy, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, energy-dispersion spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Mechanical and tribological properties of coatings were determined using nanoindentation and pin-on-disk tests using 100Cr6 and Al₂O₃ balls. The oxidation resistance of coatings was evaluated by microscopy and X-ray diffraction after annealing in air at temperatures up to 1200 °C. The reactively-deposited coatings containing from 30% to 40% nitrogen or carbon have the highest hardness up to 29 GPa and elastic recovery up to 78%. Additionally, coatings with a high carbon content demonstrated a low coefficient of friction of 0.2 and no visible signs of wear when tested against 100Cr6 ball. All coatings except for the non-reactive ones can resist oxidation up to a temperature of 1200 °C thanks to the formation of a protective film based on Ta₂O₅ and SiO₂ on their surface. Coatings deposited in Ar-N₂ and Ar-C₂H₄ demonstrated superior resistance to thermal cycling in conditions 20-T−20 °C (where T = 200–1000 °C). The present article compares the structure and properties of reactive and “standard-inert atmosphere” deposited coatings to develop recommendations for optimizing the composition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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15 pages, 2266 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Convection–Diffusion Model for the Synthesis of PVD Coatings and the Influence of Nanolayer Parameters on the Formation of Fractal and Hierarchical Structures

by Alexey Vereschaka, Sergey Grigoriev, Anatoli Chigarev, Filipp Milovich, Nikolay Sitnikov, Nikolay Andreev, Gaik Oganian and Jury Bublikov

Coatings 2020, 10(10), 927; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10100927 - 28 Sep 2020

Viewed by 1748

Abstract

The study proposes a model for the deposition of coatings, which takes into account the stochastic nature of the deposition process and is built considering the influence of the parallel convection and diffusion processes. The investigation has found that the dispersion of the motion direction of deposited particles in front of a substrate increases, which indicates a growth of the randomness in the trajectories of the particles being deposited. The obtained formulas indicate the fractal nature of the deposition process. During the formation of the multilayer coating structure, mismatched fractal structures of the layers overlap each other and thus the clustering effect is largely leveled out. The value of the nanolayer λ period has a significant influence on the fractal structure of the coating and the formation of feather-like hierarchical structures in it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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Review

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43 pages, 27415 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Quo Vadis: AlCr-Based Coatings in Industrial Applications

by Joerg Vetter, Anders O. Eriksson, Andreas Reiter, Volker Derflinger and Wolfgang Kalss

Coatings 2021, 11(3), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11030344 - 18 Mar 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4997

Abstract

AlCr-based hard nitride coatings with different chemical compositions and architectures have been successfully developed and applied over the last few decades. Coating properties are mainly influenced by deposition conditions and the Al/Cr content. The fcc structure is dominant for an Al-content up to Al_0.7Cr_0.3N and is preferred for most cutting applications. Different (AlCrX)N alloying concepts, including X = Si, W, B, V, have been investigated in order to enhance oxidation resistance and wear behaviour and to provide tribological properties. AlCr-based oxynitrides and even pure oxides (Al_1−xCr_x)₂O₃ with different crystalline structures have been explored. Multi- and nanolayered coatings within the AlCr materials system, as well as in combination with (TiSi)N, for example, have also been implemented industrially. The dominant deposition technology is the vacuum arc process. Recently, advanced high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) processes have also been successfully applied on an industrial scale. This paper describes basic coating properties and briefly addresses the main aspects of the coating processes as well as selected industrial applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technologies of Coatings and Surface Hardening for Tool Industry)

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