Mechanical property evaluation of cathodic arc plasma-deposited CrN thin films on Fe–Mn–Al–C alloys

Chromium nitride is a promising hard coating applied in forming, drawing and plastic molding industries due to its good thermal stability and excellent resistance to wear and corrosion. An austenitic Fe–30Mn–5.8Al–1C alloy was coated with a CrN film by a cathodic arc plasma deposition process. The mechanical and adhesion properties were evaluated by microhardness, scratch, nanoindentation, Daimler–Benz Rockwell-C adhesion and pin-on-disk wear tests. The microhardness of CrN film reaches 2310±100 HK under a 10-gf load. The elastic modulus of the CrN film is 290 GPa, measured with a nanoindenter under a 3000-μN load. The adhesion of CrN film deposited on Fe–Mn–Al–C substrate is observed to be better than HF1. The wear resistance of the Fe–Mn–Al–C substrate is also significantly improved by the presence of the CrN film.