Ti—Si—C—N piston ring coatings

摘要

A Ti—Si—C—N coating for a piston ring and a method forming such coating, wherein the deposited coating exhibits a thickness in the range of 10.0 micrometers to 20.0 micrometers and exhibits a coefficient of friction of less than 0.15 and a wear rate of less than 10×10−6 mm3/N/m. The coefficient of friction being measured on a Plint TE77 and the wear rate being measured against an alumina ball of 0.25 inches in diameter at a load of 1 N at 100 rpm in a dry environment. The deposited Ti—Si—C—N coating includes nanocrystalline phases in an amorphous matrix.

主权项

1. A method of coating piston rings, comprising:
placing a piston ring into a process chamber; reducing gas pressure in said process chamber; supplying an inert gas to said process chamber and generating a plasma of said inert gas; supplying nitrogen to said process chamber at a flow rate of 40 sccm to 60 sccm; supplying hexamethyldisilazane to said process chamber at a rate of 3 grams per hour to 9 grams per hour; sputtering titanium from a magnetron target in said process chamber; and depositing a Ti—Si—C—N coating on said piston ring, wherein said coating has a thickness in the range of 10.0 micrometers to 40.0 micrometers and exhibits a coefficient of friction of less than 0.15, a wear rate of less than 10×10−6 mm3/N/m, and a nanohardness in the range of 10.0 GPa to 30.0 GPa, wherein said coefficient of friction is measured using a Plint TE77 testing apparatus using 10W-30 oil maintained at 35° C. as a lubricant, under a force of 30 N, and a sliding frequency of 5 to 20 Hz, and said wear rate is measured against an alumina ball of 0.25 inches in diameter at a load of 1 N at 100 rpm in a dry environment, wherein said Ti—Si—C—N coating includes nanocrystalline phases having a grain size in the range of 3 nm to 10 nm in an amorphous matrix, wherein said nanocrystalline phases include TiCxNy, wherein x is in the range of 0.00 to 1.00 and y is in the range of 1.00 to 0.00.