Tribological behavior of CrN coating on aluminum alloys deposited by arc ion plating

Dry sliding wear and friction tests of CrN coating on two types of aluminum alloy substrates, 6061 Al and 7075 Al, deposited by arc ion plating were performed with a ball-on-disk tribometer. The effects of normal load and the mechanical properties of the substrate on the friction coefficient and wear resistance of CrN coating were investigated. The worn surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that surface microhardness of CrN-coated 7075 Al is higher than that of CrN-coated 6061 Al. With an increase in normal load, wear volume increases, while the friction coefficient decreases. The friction coefficient of CrN-coated 6061 Al is higher than that of CrN-coated 7075 Al, while the wear resistance of CrN-coated 6061 Al is lower than that of the CrN-coated 7075 Al. This indicates that the substrate mechanical properties have strong influence on the friction coefficient and wear of CrN coating. The main wear mechanism was fragments of CrN coating, caused by apparent plastic deformation of substrate during wear tests.