Effect of Phase Composition in TiAlSiN Hard Coatings on The Behavior of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

The aim of this study is to investigate the structural evolution and mechanical properties of TiAlSiN coating when processed by the arc ion plating method. The nominal compositions of the ternary alloys were designed to be Ti₅₀Al₄₅Si₅, Ti₄₅Al₄₅Si₁₀, and Ti₄₀Al₄₅Si₁₅ (wt.%) and mechanically alloyed by planetary ball milling to form a hard coating. The powders were densely compacted during a rapid sintering process into a ternary system coating. The evolution of the structural phase from a powder to a compact material is dominated considerably by phase states such as a solid solution or intermetallic compounds. The relationship between the physical and chemical properties during the coating process is considered to be the dominant factor controlling the orientation and morphology of that zone. The TiAlSiN coating layer was found to have hardness above 45 GPa and an adhesion above 100 N. In other words, understanding the evolution and structure of TiAlSiN helped us to produce a material with excellent properties that can be used as a bard coating. Specifically, these properties were induced by a grain refinement of the nano-crystallite structure that corresponds to an increase in the silicon nitride contents.