The Structure and Characteristics of Tribological Systems with Diamond Like Carbon Coatings under Ionic Liquid Lubrication Conditions

Abstract The results from the tests on tribological a-C:H diamond coatings deposited by PACVD (plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition) on 100Cr6 steel components are presented in this work. Mechanical properties - nanohardness and Young’s modulus - were assessed by instrumented indentation. Tribological tests were conducted with T-01M tester in a ball-on-disc test under dry and boundary friction conditions. Selected ionic liquids - synthetic new generation lubricants - were used for lubrication. The results from the experiments indicate that diamond-like coatings improved tribological characteristics of the friction pairs tested, with the ionic liquids intensifying this effect.