Enhancing Wear Behavior and Hardness of D5 Cold Work Tool Steel through TiCrN Multilayer Nanocoating via Physical Vapor Deposition

The purpose of this research was to enhance the wear behavior and hardness of cold work D5 tool steel by depositing a TiCrN multilayer nanocoating through the physical vapor deposition with a cathodic arc. A comparison was made between the properties of the applied coatings and the thin-film TiN and CrN nanolayer coatings produced using the same method. Various tests, including micro-hardness tests, surface wear tests, and corrosion examinations using the Tafel test, were conducted. The coating surfaces and the wear lines were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results indicated that the TiN thin-film coating, the TiCrN multilayer nanocoating and the CrN coating exhibited higher hardness of 226, 205, and 165 HV, respectively than the less coated sample (101 HV). Additionally, friction coefficients were measured and found to be 0.35, 0.3, and 0.27 for TiN, TiCrN, and CrN coatings, respectively. Furthermore, the corrosion test results demonstrated that the TiCrN multilayer coating exhibited excellent corrosion resistance. The analysis of wear surfaces revealed abrasion wear mechanisms for the TiN and CrN coatings, while fatigue wear mechanisms were observed for the TiCrN coating. Those findings suggest that the TiCrN multilayer nanocoating has potential applications in the production of tool steel pieces, complementary parts, and machine tool components.