Effect of hydrogenated DLC coating hardness on the tribological properties under water lubrication

Hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were deposited using unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBM) equipment with different hardnesses. Effects of coating hardness on tribological properties were investigated with tribo-tests under water lubrication. Results showed that the wear volume increased rapidly during the initial running-in process, but remained nearly constant after the running-in process. The ball wear rate increased as the hardness of the DLC coating increased when metals (stainless steel and brass) were used as counter parts. In contrast, the UHMWPE ball wear rate was independent of the DLC hardness. TEM analysis and nano-indentation measurements were conducted of the transfer layer on the counter bodies’ contact surfaces. The transfer layer consisted mainly of Fe, O and C. The low friction of DLC coating is attributed to this low hardness transfer layer, which acts as a boundary-lubricating layer with low shear strength.