Tribological Performance of Coating Films on Titanium Alloy Ti-6Al-4V Under Wet Conditions

This research examines the impact of different coating film types on tribological

behavior under wet conditions. Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V was selected as the substrate

material and coated with three films, Titanium Nitride (TiN), Titanium Carbonitride

(TiCN), and Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC), by using the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

process. A saline solution was utilized as the lubricant in all experiments. The coefficient

of friction was measured using the Ball-on-Disk method with a tribometer operating at a

rotational speed of 3.14 cm/sec for 3,000 cycles under normal loads of 1N, 2N, and 5N. The

findings indicate that the DLC coating exhibited the lowest coefficient of friction (0.16)

under a 1N load, attributed to its superior hardness. This high hardness enables the

coating to effectively withstand applied pressures, minimizing surface deformation and

enhancing tribological performance in wet environments.