Effect of TiN/Ti multilayer coatings with different microstructure on wear, corrosion, and fatigue performance of high strength steel

In this work, the effect of TiN/Ti multilayer coatings with different number of layers on the wear, corrosion, and fatigue properties is investigated. The results show that TiN/Ti multilayer coatings with a greater number of layers have outstanding anti-corrosion properties. And the corrosion current density of 12 layers coatings is 82.23 % lower than that of the substrate. The multilayer coatings display the favorable tribological properties. The coefficient of friction and wear rates are significantly decreased after the deposition of multilayer coatings. In addition, the multilayer coatings significantly improve the fatigue life, which is 8.6 times greater than that of the steel substrate. This enhancement in multilayer coatings could be attributed to the thinner modulation period of the TiN/Ti multilayer coating, which inhibits the penetration of corrosive media and increases the toughness. Moreover, multilayer coatings could effectively improve the plastic deformation resistance of the substrate and inhibit fatigue crack initiation.