Tribological and cutting behavior of silicon nitride tools coated with monolayer- and multilayer-microcrystalline HFCVD diamond films

Monolayer-micrometric (MN-MCD), monolayer-submicrometric (MN-SMCD) and multilayer-micrometric (MT-MCD) diamond films are grown on silicon nitride substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique. The as-deposited diamond films are characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), Raman spectrum and 3D surface topography. Tribological properties are assessed by the sliding tests using a reciprocal motion ball-on-flat (BOF) configuration. The friction coefficients are measured as 0.126 for the MN-MCD films, 0.076 for the MN-SMCD films and 0.071 for the MT-MCD films during dry sliding against silicon nitride counterface. The different carbon content of the films may result in the visible diminution of friction coefficient for the MT-MCD films relative to the MN-MCD films. The results show that the MN-MCD and MT-MCD films present the much higher wear resistance than the MN-SMCD films. Meanwhile, the cutting performances of as-deposited diamond films are evaluated by machining aluminum-silicon alloy material. The experimental results show that the MT-MCD insert presents the best behavior regarding the tool wear. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.