Transactions of Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics
Investigation on Interfacial Adhesion Enhancement Mechanisms of TiAlN Coatings on Nitrocarburized 300M Steel
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Abstract:
This study investigates the interfacial adhesion enhancement mechanisms of TiAlN coatings deposited on nitrocarburized 300M ultra-high-strength steel substrates. Through radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering technology， TiAlN coatings （approximately 4 μm thick） are fabricated on both pristine and plasma-nitrocarburized （PNC） substrates. Comparative analyses of phase composition， microstructure， and mechanical properties are conducted using field emission scanning electron microscope （FESEM）， X-ray diffraction（XRD）， nanoindentation， and scratch testing. Molecular dynamics （MD） simulations with Materials Studio （MS） software elucidate atomic-scale interactions between TiAlN coatings and substrates. Results demonstrate that the PNC pretreatment generates a dual-phase structure （about 65 μm thick） comprising the γ-Fe4N compound layer and a high-hardness diffusion layer， establishing a continuous hardness gradient at the coating-substrate interface. The PNC/TiAlN composite coating exhibits enhanced interfacial adhesion strength， attributed to mechanical interlocking from plasma-etched microvoids and optimized lattice matching. Scratch tests reveal a significant increase in critical load to 60 N for coating delamination in PNC/TiAlN systems compared with monolayer coatings. These improvements mitigate brittle spallation risks while maintaining superior hardness （29.26 GPa） and wear resistance. This paper provides atomic-level insights into adhesion enhancement mechanisms and proposes a viable duplex surface engineering strategy for high-strength steel components.
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Project Supported:
This work was supported by the National Major Science and Technology Projects of China （No.Y2022-Ⅲ-0004-0013）， the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No.52272065）， the Sicence and Technology Plan Project of Suzhou City （N0.SZKXM202301）， the Technical Service Project of Suzhou University （No.2024xhx140）， the Suzhou University Doctoral Research Foundation （No.2023BSK013）， and the Natural Science Research Project in the Universities of Anhui Province （No.2023AH053390）.
Clc Number:
TN925
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