Wear and corrosion resistance of TiN and AlTiN coatings deposited on YW2 substrate

TiN and AlTiN coatings were deposited on YW2 substrates using magnetron sputtering technology. The friction and wear behaviour of the coatings and substrate when slid against a diamond indenter, as well as their corrosion behaviour in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, were investigated. The results indicate that TiN coating exhibits the lowest friction coefficient, the shallowest and smoothest wear scars, demonstrating the best wear resistance. However, despite AlTiN coating having the highest hardness, it also shows the highest wear rate. Owing to its amorphous crystal structure, AlTiN coating exhibits greater brittleness, leading to coating spallation during friction and thus lower wear resistance. Both TiN and AlTiN coatings significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the YW2 substrate, with AlTiN coating exhibiting the optimal corrosion resistance. The incorporation of aluminium contributes to the formation of a passive film on the coating, thereby enhancing corrosion resistance.