Erosion Wear Behavior of CrAlN Coating Produced by Pulsed Filtered Vacuum Cathode Arc Deposition Assisted with Plasma

To improve the tribological properties, it is important to reduce the growth defects in PVD hard coatings. CrAlN coating was deposited on the substrate of a hard metal by pulsed filtered vacuum cathode arc deposition assisted with plasma (PFVCADP). The surface morphology of the original coating was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM images of the coating surfaces showed that the surface growth defects in the CrAlN coating were reduced markedly. The coating was eroded by solid angular SiC particles. The analysis of the morphologies of the surface and cross section of the eroded coatings proved that the coating material was removed by brittle fatigue fracture of the coating material. The erosion wear of the coating behaved as brittle materials. The fragments were so fine that the eroded surface became smoother with the increase of the impacts from the particles and the particles impingements played a role of polishing to the coating surface.