The Effect of TiN, TiAlN, TiCN Thin Films Obtained by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering Method on the Wear Behavior of Ti6Al4V Alloy: A Comparative Study

Titanium-based alloys have gained worldwide application over the past century. However, their low wear resistance remains an unresolved challenge for the Ti6Al4V alloy, which has significant industrial use. Therefore, it is an integral part in material selection and surface treatment in friction-wear applications. Tribological properties are not only material parameters but also system parameters where test conditions are essential. Hardness, roughness and contact conditions of coatings, which are especially important in surface treatments, affect wear modes. In this study, titanium nitride, titanium aluminum nitride and titanium carbon nitride coatings were obtained by unbalanced reactive magnetron sputtering to improve the weak tribological properties of Ti6Al4V alloy. The wear behavior was studied at room temperature in dry conditions. Wear tests were conducted under different loads and different sliding rates, which were followed by comparative analyses of their wear resistances. While the coated samples showed higher wear resistance than the uncoated Ti6Al4V alloy, the lowest wear track width was observed in TiN coating. Depending on the surface properties of the coatings, adhesion, abrasion and oxidation wear mechanisms were observed. It was concluded that a TiN coating could be a material of choice for applications where triple abrasive wear is dominant.