Tribological Behavior of Tool Steel Substrate and Solid Films against 304 BA Austenitic Stainless Steel under Dry Sliding

The objective of this work is to study the tribological behavior of the contacting surfaces of SKD11 grade hardened cold work tool steel against grade SUS304BA austenitic stainless steel. DLC, CrN, TiN, and TiCN films were coated on the surface of the tool material to test the tribological performance. Simulation testing with a pin-on-disk was used in this study. The study was done under dry conditions with sliding velocities at 50, 100, and 150 mm/s and contact pressures of 807, 1095, and 1280 MPa. The results show that the main problem is the adhesion of the workpiece material on the tool surface. The severity of the adhesion from the workpiece material is proportional to the sliding velocity and the contact pressure between the contacting surfaces. The coefficient of friction between the contacting surfaces has a positive relationship with the adhesion occurring on the tool surface. The hardness of the film coating is useful for preventing wear of the tool material, especially under high pressure between the contacting surfaces. However, it does not prevent the adhesion of workpiece material of low sliding velocity and low contact pressure conditions. Noncoated SKD11 tool steel has better effectiveness of adhesion performance than CrN, TiN, and TiCN film coatings.