A study of the Wear Behavior of TiSiN and AlTiCrN/TiSiN Double-Layer Coated AISI 4140 Steel
Surfaces and Interfaces, cilt.98, ss.1-14, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 98
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.surfin.2026.110457
- Dergi Adı: Surfaces and Interfaces
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), INSPEC
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-14
- Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study compares the wear resistance of PVD-coated single-layer TiSiN (S1) and double-layered AlTiCrN/TiSiN (S2) on AISI 4140 steel, highlighting the enhanced wear performance of the bilayer coating. Wear behavior was evaluated through microstructural, phase, and tribological analyses, supported by hardness, thickness, profilometer, and wettability measurements. The results show that the thickness of the TiSiN coating layer on the AISI 4140 steel substrate was measured as 4.15 ± 0.11 µm, whereas the thickness of the double-layer AlTiCrN/TiSiN coating on the same substrate was determined to be 6.63 ± 0.16 µm. The hardness of the double-layer coated sample (2922 ± 56 HV) is approximately 57% higher than that of the single-layer AlTiCrN-coated sample (1862 ± 45 HV), indicating a substantial enhancement in hardness due to the double-layer coating architecture. While the contact angle of sample S2 is 52.3 ± 0.6°, that of S1 is 28.8 ± 0.8°, corresponding to an approximately 82% increase in contact angle for S2, which indicates enhanced hydrophobic behavior. Unlike the single-layer TiSiN coating, which loses its load-bearing capacity and suffers severe substrate damage under high loads and long sliding distances, the AlTiCrN/TiSiN double-layer coating maintains its integrity through the formation of a tribofilm and provides markedly superior wear resistance, as indicated by the wear test results. At 20 N, the specific wear rate of S1 increased from 28.71 ± 1.74 to 51.79 ± 2.35 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm over 500–1000 m, while S2 showed a greater increase (18.46 ± 1.69to 23.46 ± 1.89 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm), confirming the superior wear resistance of S2.