Tribological properties of solid multilayer composite coatings in dry rolling contact

This paper is aimed on a perspective multilayer composite coating that exhibits high wear resistance during dry rolling tribological condition. When testing on a ring-by-ring tribo-tester under vertical load of 100 N, a three-layer composite coating is optimal, which exhibits both the low friction coefficient and the low wear rate. From the SEM observation, a new dynamic lubricating film forms on the contact surface during tribological test, which is believed to be a key factor in improving the lubricity and wear resistance. This research shows that the route of multilayer structure may extend the application of composite resin coating in mechanical field. ► Designing a resin based composite coating used in the surface of steel. ► Tribological behaviors under different rolling directions have been performed. ► A wear mechanism about new dynamic solid lubrication film has been proposed.