Tribological properties of solid lubricating film/microarc oxidation coating on Al alloys

A process for preparation of solid lubricating films on micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating was introduced to provide self-lubricating and wear-resistant multilayer coatings for aluminum alloys. The friction and wear behavior of various burnished and bonded solid lubricating films on the as-deposited and polished micro-arc oxidation coatings sliding against steel and ceramic counterparts was evaluated with a Timken tester and a reciprocating friction and wear tester, respectively. The burnished and bonded solid lubricating films on the polished micro-arc oxidation coatings are superior to the as-deposited ones in terms of the wear resistant behavior, because they lead to strengthened interfacial adhesion between the soft lubricating top-film and the hard polished MAO sub-coating, which helps increase the wear resistance of the solid lubricating film on multilayer coating. Thus the multilayer coatings are potential candidates as self-lubricating and wear-resistant coatings for Al alloy parts in engineering applications.