Experimental and numerical analysis of tribological behavior of CrAl(Si)N films during Scratch

TL;DR

This study combines experimental scratch tests and finite element modeling to analyze the tribological behavior of CrAl(Si)N films, revealing insights into friction, deformation, and stress distribution related to Si content.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive approach integrating experiments and simulations to understand the tribological properties of CrAl(Si)N films with varying Si content.

Findings

CrAlSiN films have lower friction coefficients than CrAlN.

Elastic deformation in films and substrates is minimal during scratching.

Stress concentration increases with higher Young's modulus in CrAlSiN.

Abstract

Scratch sliding tests with a ZrO2 ball and CrAlSiN films with different Si content were conducted due to CrAlSiN films having high hardness and good wear resistance. After up to 6000 cycles the specimens were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The friction coefficient of CrAlSiN was lower than that of CrAlN film.A corresponding three-dimensional finite element model was constructed with the help of the ABAQUS to describe the mechanical response during scratch. A comparison of experimental and computational results revealed that the small elastic deformation took place in the films and substrates;the deformation friction coefficient was negligible in comparison with the Coulomb friction coefficient;and with increasing Young's modulus, the stress concentration was more obvious in CrAlSiN than in CrAlN.