Micromorphology and Tribological Behavior of TiSiCN Monolayer and TiSiCN/TiSiN Multilayer Coatings by Ion Plating

TiSiCN monolayer and TiSiCN/TiSiN multilayer coatings were deposited on titanium alloy by multi arc ion plating. The microstructure, hardness, bonding property and friction and wear property of the two coatings were investigated comparatively. The results show that the composing structure of the two coatings were compact and homogeneous. The hardness of the TiSiCN/TiSiN multilayer coating was much higher than that of the TiSiCN monolayer coating. The bonding strength between the TiSiCN/TiSiN multilayer coating and the substrate was smaller than that between the TiSiCN monolayer coating and the substrate. The friction coefficient of the TiSiCN/TiSiN multilayer coating in atmosphere and artificial seawater were 0.32 and 0.30, respectively. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the TiSiCN monolayer coating in atmosphere or artificial seawater were lower than those of the TiSiCN/TiSiN multilayer coating. The wear resistance of the TiSiCN monolayer coating was relatively good.