Effect of Basic Processing Factors for Obtaining TiN Vacuum Ion-Plasma Coatings on Their Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics

TiN coatings have been deposited using cathodic arc deposition at various nitrogen pressures and deposition temperatures. The structure and elemental coating composition are analyzed using a scanning electron microscope and an energy dispersive spectrometer. The mechanical properties and adhesion strength of the coating are measured using nanoindentation and scratch testing. The degree of wear is investigated with a tribometer using the ball-on-disk test method. The analysis of the results is carried out by the methods of two-factor orthogonal experiment planning with optimization elements. The results show that the coating structure has a columnar (fibrous) morphology, the composition is close to stoichiometric. The moment of coating destruction, when determining the adhesive strength, occurs at a load of about 600 mN. On the basis of the obtained regression equations for the optimized values of hardness, plasticity index and wear degree, the values of the process parameters of deposition should be in intervals T = 350–430°С and P = 0.065–0.075 Pa.