Regularities of the influence of the structural state of vacuum-arc-deposited TiN coatings on their resistance to abrasion

The influence of the structural state (by X-ray diffraction data) on the resistance to abrasive wear of titanium nitride (TiN) coatings obtained by vacuum-arc deposition at nitrogen pressures within (1–67) × 10 −2 Pa at a constant negative bias potential of −230 V with and without additional stimulation by high-voltage pulses. The abrasive wear resistance was evaluated by the ball-cratering technique. It is established that the dependence of the wear resistance of arc-deposited TiN coatings on their structural state is not determined entirely by the degree of texturing. This is a multifactor process, and the main factors are the formation of nanosized crystalline grains and the macroscopically deformed (compressed) state of coatings with a strain level of −1.8 to −1.9%.