Characterization of defects in PVD TiAlN hard coatings
Karakterizacija defektov PVD TiAlN trdih prevlek

angleški

2012

letnik 46, številka 4

trde prevleke   PVD prevleke   defekti   jamičasta korozija   mikrostruktura 

Inštitut za kovinske materiale in tehnologije
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

PVD hard coatings are continuously gaining their importance in different fields of applications. In industrial use, they are often exposed to corrosive environments. Hard coatings possess inherently good corrosion resistance, but the substrate-hard coating systems may suffer from a severe corrosion attack due to the defects (craters, pin holes) in the coatings. On the sites, where defects extend through the coating, pitting corrosion can take place. These sites are drawbacks in the applications of hard coating. A PVD TiAlN hard coating was prepared on cold-work, tool-steel (AISI D2) substrates by sputtering using unbalanced magnetron sources. The growth defects incorporated into the coating were studied after the deposition and corrosion experiments. We used two methods: (1) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for general overview of the coating topography and 2D-characterization of defects, and (2) scanning electron microscopy with a focused ion beam (SEM-FIB) for making serial cross-sections through the selected defects in order to provide images for a 3D-reconstruction of defects. In this work we tried to investigate the formation of a defect at a specific location and findout whether the selected defect causes pitting corrosion.

10.07.2013