Tribological Evaluation of a High-Performance Composite Coating

This research presents a new coating on a metal substrate. A carbon steel substrate was used to apply Ni-SiC coatings of various ratios. Wear tests were performed on the coatings and substrate using a linearly reciprocating tribometer with a E52100 carbon steel counterpart. Scratch tests were performed with the same instrument using a tungsten carbide scratch tip. The addition of the coating was found to greatly improve the mechanical properties of the substrate. During experiments studying wear, an E52100 carbon steel ball counterpart was used and its damage was analyzed. This ball showed signs of wear while the coating surfaces showed no sign of abrasion but with only visible adhesive wear. Similarly, scratch tests showed far less material removal in the coating than substrate, showing greatly improved scratch resistance. Additionally, scratch coefficient of friction measured during these tests showed the addition of the coating decreased coefficient of friction to as low as 0.25 compared to the 0.4 of the substrate. The combination of these properties shows that this coating and application method is useful in a wide range of industries.