Investigation of B-C additions on the mechanical properties of altin coatings produced by using magnetron sputtering technique

As technology and engineering applications develop, surface modifications are the most practical and less costly method to improve surface properties instead of modifying the entire material. Thin-film coatings produced by using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) methods are an effective method that increases the resistance of the material against wear as well as significantly affects the service life. Especially in the machining industry, hard and protective coatings such as TiN and/or AlTiN are highly demanded. On the other hand, adding alloying elements such as boron and/or carbon to the AlTiN coatings enhances the mechanical and tribological properties, cutting performance, and thermal stability of the coating. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the effect of B and C additions on structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of AlTiN-B4C hard coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering PVD depending on different process parameters such as magnetron power, Ar/N2 gas ratios, and substrate bias voltages. Chemical compositions and phase analysis were done using XPS and XRD. Surface morphological properties and film thicknesses were determined using FE-SEM. Mechanical properties of films were examined using nano-hardness and tribological behaviors determined via a ball-on-disc tribometer. According to the results, there is no significant change in the hardness of all deposited films. However, the coating produced using 1.5 kW B4C magnetron power, 100 V bias voltage, and 33% N2 gas ratio exhibits better tribological behavior than other films.