Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering--Environmentally Safe Corrosion and Wear Coatings for Fasteners

Abstract

The Wear Sciences Coating Group of TA&T, Inc. under DARPA sponsorship has developed a new thin film coating method process aircraft piece parts such as fasteners and bearing balls. The objective of this technology development, demonstration, and commercialization program was to replace cadmium-plated parts with an environmentally friendly, low-cost multilayer and/or graded coating based on the Cr/CrxN system. This same material system was also evaluated as an improved bearing coating replacement for electroplated chromium. Coating performance was optimized using correlations between microstructure characterizations and fundamental mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties of the coatings. The payoff of new environmentally benign coatings and processes that can eliminate the use of hazardous electroplated cadmium and chromium and resin-bonded dry film lubricants is enormous. Physical vapor deposited nitride coatings (especially CrxN based) offer good corrosion and wear resistance and environmental cleanliness. Nitride/metal multilayer coatings offer even better corrosion resistance, lower friction, and higher wear resistance.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA401360

Entities

People

  • Larry L. Fehrenbacher

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Corrosion
  • Corrosion Resistance
  • Crystal Structure
  • Diffraction
  • Films
  • Friction
  • Materials
  • Materials Science
  • Measurement
  • Solid Lubricants
  • Thin Films
  • Wear Resistance
  • X Rays
  • X-Ray Diffraction
  • Yield Strength

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Surface Engineering/Surface Coating Technology.
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).