Friction and Wear Reduction of Hard Nanocomposite Coatings by an Integrated Approach of Laser Surface Patterning and High-Energy Ion Implantation

Reducing friction, wear and lubricants is the main developing trend and concern in modern engineering community. Due to the combined extreme hardness, high melting point, good chemical inertness, and good thermodynamical stability, quaternary nanocomposite (e.g.TiSiAlN) coatings are excellent candidates to be used in modern industries. However, the nitride based nanocomposite coatings often suffer from associated high friction and this limits their application potential. In this project, we use an integrated approach which comprises of laser ablation patterning and ion-implantation processes to tackle this deficiency while retaining the excellent physical properties of the origin coatings. The tribological performance of the modified hard coatings will be revealed and the mechanical and the microstructural properties of the coatings will be studied by a variety of analytic techniques. It is anticipated that guidelines will be formulated to the design of high performance tribological surfaces fit for running under harsh conditions.