Modulation Period Effect on the CrN/TiN Coating Properties

The article presents the investigation of the effect of the modulation period of the nanomultilayer CrN/TiN coatings, deposited by arc-PVD technology, on the coatings' mechanical and tribological properties. The studied modulation period was in the range from 6 to 16.5 nm. The measured coatings hardness was in the range of 26 -29 GPa, and the plasticity index was 0.07. The tribological properties were measured against Al2O3 and ZrO2 counterparts. The lowest value of wear rate was measured at the CrN/TiN nanomultilayer costing with modulation period of 8.4 nm.