Improvement on wear resistance of 304 stainless steel via Cr-C-O Arc-coatings

In this study, the Cr-C-O composite coatings were synthesized on AISI 304 stainless steel by cathodic vacuum arc deposition (CVAD) system using CO
₂
reactive gas and Chromium (99.9%) target. In the coating process, the bias value was varied, and the coating morphologies and properties such as roughness, chemical composition, structure, and adhesion were all analyzed. Moreover, ball-on-disc wear tests were also performed for exploring the bias effect on wear resistance of the coated AISI 304 stainless steel. The experimental results showed that the Cr-C-O composite coatings were smoothly deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel, which could improve the wear resistance of AISI 304 stainless steel. In particular, the bias value at -150V showed the lowest friction coefficient. This is because the coating in this condition had the highest value of H/E and the best adhesion.