Tribological characteristics and corrosion resistance of coatings obtained by electrospark alloying, pulsed cathodic arc evaporation and hybrid technology using TiCNiCr and TiCNiCr—Dy2O3 electrodes

Single- and two-layer coatings were deposited on 5140 steel substrates by electrospark alloying (ESA) and a combination of ESA technology and pulsed cathodic arc evaporation (PCAE) using TiCNiCr and TiCNiCr Dy₂O₃, electrodes obtained by powder metallurgy. The structure, elemental and phase composition of electrodes and coatings were studied using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray phase analysis. Tribological properties of coatings were determined as a result of tests according to the «pin-on-disk» scheme in contact with the Al₂O₃ counterbody at loads of 1, 5, and 10 N. The temperature during the tests was 20 °C. The potential and density of corrosion current were determined using a three-electrode cell with a VoltaLab 50 potentiostat. The results showed that electrodes consist of 12 pm TiC grains, a solid solution of Ni in Cr, and Dy₂O₃ up to 5 μm in size in case of a doped electrode. ESA coatings had a low-defect fine-grained structure consisting of regions of a solid solution of Ni and Cr in Fe and TiC grains with a maximum size of 0.3 μm. Coatings with the addition of Dy₂O₃ had a lower friction coefficient at loads of 1, 5, and 10 N. All coatings during the tests in the H₂SO₄ 1N solution were in a stable passive state and featured high corrosion resistance: corrosion current density of the coatings was at least 4 times lower than the values obtained for the 5140 steel substrate.

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