Physical and Mechanical Properties of Multicomponent (Zr+TiBSiNi)N Coating Fabricated by Plasma-Assisted Vacuum-Arc Deposition

The paper studies physical and mechanical properties of multicomponent (Zr+TiBSiNi)N coating synthesized by vacuum-arc deposition using the traditional plasma-assisted gas source “PINK” and new beam-plasma formation (BPF) system. It is shown that the coating obtained by using the BPF system, has better properties that the coating obtained by using the traditional plasma-assisted gas source. In the first case, the coating hardness is 47.8 GPA and in the second case, it is 40.9 GPa. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that along with ZrN and TiN phases, the BPF-synthesized coating consists of the superhard and heat-resistant TiB 2 phase. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the phase composition conducted for the in situ synchrotron radiation beam, shows that notable phase transformations start at temperatures higher than 750°C.