Tribological properties of chromium nitride on the cylinder liner under the influence of high temperature

Abstract

The chromium nitride coating is a hard coating used to improve the sliding friction and wear behavior and is applied to engine components in various operating conditions even at an elevated temperature. In this study, chromium nitride was deposited by a physical vapor deposition process onto the cast iron substrate. All tribological tests were performed on linear reciprocating tribometer with a stroke length of 5 mm in a dry condition at variable temperature levels of 28◦C, 100◦C, 200◦C, and of 300◦C corresponding to loads of 10 N, 20 N, 30 N, and 40 N against the cylinder liner material. The worn surfaces of chromium nitride(CrN) coatings after friction tests were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that friction coefficients (COF) ranged from 0.93 to 0.34 from room temperature to 300◦C against the cylinder liner material as a counter-body of 6 mm in diameter; higher temperature results in the positive tribological performance of CrN, with at least 0.34 COF at 300◦C. The wear mechanisms of CrN and counter-body surfaces are abrasive wear accompanied by the slight oxidation. This study guides the wear behavior of cylinder liner coatings in an environment similar to the engine.