International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films

Prediction of DLC friction lifetime

based on a local Archard factor
density approach
F. ALKELAE , S. FOUVRY
April 29 May 3, 2013
San Diego, CA, USA

SUMMARY

Experimental device
Material used
Experiments performed

Expertises performed

Friction analysis

Wear analysis

Endurance analysis based on Archard local energy density

Experimental layout

Q*,*

0g
Experimental device schema
Materials data.

Fretting loop

Composition (Wt %)

Young Modulus
(GPa)
52100 Chromium steel 97% Fe,1.45% Cr, 0.98% C, 210
0.35% Mn
DCY (DLC)
81.35% C, 16.92% W, 1.73% 364
Cr
P is kept constant

=>

Materials Data.

Plotting Q = f() : fretting loop

Q and are recorded

3

Work conditions and material used

52100 steel ball

DLC coating
52100 steel substrate

Configuration adopted
Conditions

Valeurs

P (N)

g (m)

50

pmax (Mpa)

430

F (Hz)

25

T (C)

20

RH (%)

29

Experimental conditions

Two families:
-Hydrogen free
-Hydrogen content
DLCs

DLC categories

Friction analysis

1.2
1.2

52100/52100

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

DLC/52100

(I)
(II)

(III)

1
2
3

0.0
0.E+00

Friction coefficient

Friction coefficient

52100/52100

5
4

Friction criterion (th=0.3)

2.E+06

4.E+06

6.E+06

8.E+06

1.0
0.8

(I)

0.6

(II)

DLC/52100
0.4
0.2

Friction criterion (th=0.3)

0.0
1.E+02

Fretting cycles Nc

Linear representation of the

friction coefficient evolution

(III)

3
1.E+03

1.E+04

1.E+05

1.E+06

1.E+07

Fretting cycles Nc

Logarithmic representation of the

friction coefficient evolution

Abrupt decrease on the friction coefficient after sequence 2.

continuous increase on the friction coefficient after sequence 2 until stabilizing at almost the
52100/52100 friction coefficient.

Wear analysis
5
1

0.5mm

Plane DLC fretting scars

0.5mm

Ball 52100 fretting scars

Interrupted tests optical observations of the plane (above) and the ball
(bellow)

Wear analysis

3D profiles
500m

2D axial profiles

Surface
Coating thickness

1
-2m

3D profiles

3D associated to 2D profiles of different interrupted tests

Wear analysis

SEM

Cr

Fe

Si

SEM and EDX mapping of the plane fretting scar at different damage
sequences.

Wear analysis
plane fretting scar analysis

ball fretting scar analysis

(a) Central zone

CrC

(a) Central zone

(a)

(1)

Fe2O3+Fe3O4-ref

(a)
(b) DLC-ref

(b)
0

400

800

1200

1600

raman
shift
(cm-1)

400

800

1200

raman
shift
(cm-1)

1600

(a) Central zone (black area)

(b) External zone
(bright area)

(a) Central zone

(a)

(a)

(2)

Cr8O21(mixture of
CrO2 & Cr2O3)
DLC-ref

(b) DLC-ref

(b)

(b)
0

400

800

1200

1600

(cm-1)

(cm-1)

400

800

1200

1600

Fe2O3+Fe3O4-ref
(a) Central zone (bright)

CrC
(b) Black corona

CrC

(a)

(3)

(b)

(a) Central zone

(red area)

(a)

DLC-REF

(b) Central zone

(bright area)
DLC-ref

Fe2O3+Fe3O4-ref

FeCr2O4-ref.

(b)
0

400

800

1200

1600

(cm-1)

400

800

(a) Debris area CrC

(red)

(b)

(4)

(a) Central zone (bright)

(a)

(b) Debris (grey)

DLC-REF

FeCr2O4-ref.

400

800

1200

1600

(cm-1)

1200

1600

(cm-1)

(b) Central zone

Fe2O3+Fe3O4-ref

(a)

(b)

(cm-1)
0

400

800

1200

1600

Raman analysis of plane and sphere fretting scar at different stages of the fretting wear
damage
9

Wear analysis

_
= 0.4, Ra = 0.95m

_
= 0.2, Ra = 1.63m

Roughness and friction coefficient comparison between sequence 1 and 3.

Remarkable friction coefficient of a smooth surface ( = 0.95m) comparatively to a rough
surface ( = 1.63m)

=>

The polishing process is not the predominant parameter of the friction coefficient decrease from
sequence 1 to sequence 3 but rather the nature of the transfer layers.

10

Friction coefficient

Prediction of the interface endurance

Coating
failure
Friction faillure

th = 0.3

(period I)

(period III)

(period II)

Nc1

Nc2

Number of cycles

Schematization of the friction interface evolution considering the coeting failure

(Nc1) and the friction failure (Nc2)

Nc1: the sharp decrease from the 0.4 friction plateau to the 0.2 friction plateau.
Nc2: the friction faillure which is defined by a friction value _th =0.3.

11

Prediction of the interface endurance

1 000
900

100

Loading pressure pmax (MPa)

Sliding amplitude g ( m)

120

80

60

40

y = -3E-05x + 169.25
R = 0.9517

800
700
600
500
400

y = -6E-05x + 701.6
R = 0.815

300
200

20

100
0
0.0E+00

0
1.0E+06

2.0E+06

3.0E+06

4.0E+06

5.0E+06

6.0E+06

Friction endurance Nc2

Evolution of the friction endurance Nc2 as a

function of the sliding amplitude(P = 5N).

0.0E+00

1.0E+06

2.0E+06

3.0E+06

4.0E+06

5.0E+06

Friction endurance Nc2

Evolution of the friction endurance Nc2 as

a function of the contact pressure( =
50m).

The friction endurance seems to decrease while increasing the loading

pressure and the sliding amplitude.

12

Prediction of the interface endurance

Illustration of the
Hertzian approach
methodology

~
WH 2 pmax aH e 1 e 2 Arc sine

Pressure field illustration

1
2

Methodology of
computing the
simplified approach

~
WS 4 pmax g

Determination of the dissipated

local energy

The local dissipated energy analysis is conducted assuming Hertzian pressure field distribution.
The maximum Archard work density dissipated is situated at the center of the sphere/plane
interface (x = y = 0) following the Hertzian hypothesis
13

Prediction of the interface endurance

1.4E+05

1.8E+05

Nc2-dg=50m
/ pmax var
Nc2 g = 50m
/ pmax var

1.6E+05

Nc2 pmax = 430MPa/

g var
Nc2-pmax-430MPa
/ dg var

1.4E+05
1.2E+05
1.0E+05
8.0E+04
6.0E+04
4.0E+04

2.0E+04
0.0E+00
0.0E+00

1.0E+06

2.0E+06

3.0E+06

4.0E+06

5.0E+06

6.0E+06

Friction endurance Nc2

Evolution of the simplified Archard work

approximation as a function of the
friction endurance Nc2

DCY
/ pmax var
Nc : dg=50m
g = 50m
/p

max

var

Nc2: pmax=430
pmax = 430MPa/
g
DCY
MPa / dg var

var

Local Archard work density

WH(N.m/m2)

Local Archard work density

WS(N.m/m2)

2.0E+05

1.2E+05

1.0E+05

8.0E+04

6.0E+04

4.0E+04

2.0E+04

y = -3E-09x2 + 0.003x + 11700

R = 1

0.0E+00
0.0E+00

1.0E+06

2.0E+06

3.0E+06

4.0E+06

5.0E+06

6.0E+06

7.0E+06

Friction endurance Nc2

Evolution of the exact hertzian Archard

work approximation as a function of
the friction endurance Nc2

Large dispersion while using the simplified formulation especially for low endurance domain.
A good correlation obtained using the exact formulation which consider an elliptical distribution
of the contact pressure.
14

Prediction of the interface endurance

1.4E+05

Friction endurance

Local Archard work density

WH(N.m/m2)

1.2E+05

1.0E+05

8.0E+04

Coating endurance
6.0E+04

4.0E+04

Nc2-dg=50m
pmax var
Nc g =/ 50m

/ pmax var
Nc2-pmax-430MPa
/ dg var g var
Nc2 pmax = 430MPa/
Nc1-dg=50m
var / pmax var
Nc1 g =/ pmax
50m
Nc1 pmax = 430MPa/
Nc1-pmax-430MPa
/ dg var g var
2

2.0E+04

0.0E+00
0.0E+00

1.0E+06

2.0E+06

3.0E+06

4.0E+06

5.0E+06

6.0E+06

endurance Nc

Evolution of the applied Archard work density as a function of the coating

(Nc1) and the friction (Nc2) endurances
The coating endurance does not seem to be a function of the local Archard work density.
A good correlation between the friction endurance values represented as a function of the
local Archard parameter.
15

Conclusion
DLC coatings are very interesting palliatives for fretting wear applications thanks to their very low riction
coefficient and wear rate
Since the evolution of the friction coefficient is devided into three phases, Raman spectroscopy, SEM and
EDX have shown that the transition from the first plateau of = 0.4 to the second of = 0.2 is monitored
by the formation of lubricious layers of DLC and chromium carbide, right after a little stabilization at this
second plateau, a continuous increase of the friction coefficient take place until almost reaching the
friction value of 52100/52100 contact.
A local Archard work density parameter was used to quantify the durability of the coating, two
endurances were taking into account, Nc1 : the coating faillure and Nc2 : the the friction faillure.
Nc2 > Nc1
Exact formulation and simplified formulation were plotted versus the friction endurance. A
remarkable dispersion was observed using , whereas a single master curve was obtained modeling
thus the wear evolution with the exact formulation.
For the coating endurance a vertical curve was obtained which means that it is not a function of the local
Archard work.

Thank you for your

kind attention

fathia.alkelae@ec-lyon.fr