Erosion Wear Behavior of Surface Modification AlCrVN Coating on Ti600 Alloy for Internal Combustion Engine

Herein, we experimentally addressed the tribological properties of AlCrVN coatings synthesized by cathodic arc ion plating on Ti600 alloy, an advanced material for internal combustion engine. The microstructures and tribological properties of the AlCrVN coatings were characterized with X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and by sand-blasting erosion test. The results show that the 4.5 μm thick AlCrVN coatings significantly improved tribological behavior of Ti-alloy.For example, the compact, uniform AlCrVN coating comprised CrN and AlN phases, with <101> preferentially grown AlN grains and some micro-pores surrounded by micro-cracks.In addition to considerably improved hardness/elastic modulus, the erosion resistance, against particle impact of AlCrVN coating, was nearly 8 times greater than that of Ti600 alloy. An eroded pit, 5.26 μm in depth, formed after sand-blasting for 480 s. Vertical sand-blast impact produced high density of eroded pits, indicating a plastic wear mechanism.