Effect of an electromagnetic field on the microstructure and properties of Cr(Ti)AlN hard coatings prepared with arc-ion plating

Abstract

A series of CrAlN and TiAlN hard coatings were prepared using industrial arc-ion plating with or without the embedded axial electromagnetic filtration technology. The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the hard coatings were compared after annealing. The results show that the grain size of the hard coatings prepared with an arc induced by an electromagnetic field decreases significantly, and the quantity of pits and hard particles reduces, leading to an improvement of compactness. Furthermore, the wear resistance and the thermal stability of the coatings prepared with electromagnetic fields improve significantly.