Method and surface roughness aspects for the design of DLC coatings

The design of coatings for highly loaded component contacts, such as bearings, gears and valve train components involves several important factors, including load, friction, lubrication, surface characteristics and material parameters. This paper presents an investigation of the influence of the material, coating thickness and surface roughness on tensional stress levels for coatings that are more compliant than the substrate material. Specifically the effect of multiple asperity contact is studied in three dimensions. The simulation is based on a finite element model where the load is applied as several interacting Hertzian pressure distributions. The results show that the surface structure, in combination with the elastic properties of the coating, has a large influence on the tensional stress level in the coating. The highest tensional stress level in the coating occurs when contact spots almost overlap neighbouring cells and at the same time the size of the contact spots is in the same order of magnitude as the coating thickness.