Friction and wear behaviors of AlTiCrN coatings by cathodic arc ion plating at high temperatures

An AlTiCrN coating was prepared on a YT14 cutting tool, whose friction and wear behaviors were investigated with a wear test at 900 and 1000 °C, respectively. The results show that the phases of the AlTiCrN coating mainly are composed of AlN, CrN, and TiN. The elements of Al, Ti, Cr, and N in the coating show gradient and transition distributions at the bonding interface; the C atoms of the substrate have diffused into the lattices of TiN, AlN, and CrN to form the obvious interdiffusion layer; and the interface bonding strength is 57.65 N. The coating is composed of different metal oxides and compound oxides at 900 and 1000 °C. The worn surface is relatively smooth at 900 °C, whose average coefficient of friction (COF) is 0.42, while the worn surface produces severe plastic deformation at 1000 °C, whose average COF is 0.45. There are enriched and depleted stripes with uniformly distributed chemical elements on the worn scar, which is expressed with uniform wear at the high temperatures.