The micro-crystalline diamond (MCD) and fine-grained diamond (FGD) films are deposited on commercial silicon nitride inserts by the hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. The friction andcutting properties of as-deposited MCD and FGD films coated silicon nitride (Si3N4) inserts are comparatively investigated in this study. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy are adopted to studythe characterization of the deposited diamond films. The friction tests are conducted on a ball-on-plate typereciprocating friction tester in ambient air using Co-cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co), Si3N4 and ball-bearing steel (BBS) balls as the mating materials of the diamond films. For sliding against WC-Co, Si3N4 and BBS,the FGD film presents lower friction coeffcients than the MCD film. However, after sliding against Si3N4, the FGD film is subject to more severe wear than the MCD film. The cutting performance of as-deposited MCD and FGD coated Si3N4 inserts is examined in dry turning glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) composite materials,comparing with the uncoated Si3N4 insert. The results indicate that the lifetime of Si3N4 inserts can be prolonged by depositing the MCD or FGD film on them and the FGD coated insert shows longer cutting lifetime than the MCD coated one.
The failure behavior of diamond-coated die was investigated experimentally and analytically through finite element method (FEM) simulation in the present work. Diamond coatings were fabricated by straight hot filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD) passing through the interior hole of the drawing die using a mixture of hydrogen and acetone as source gases. The performance tests were made under real drawing condition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for the study of coating wear after die service. The coating wear appears on two regions of the reduction zone: one is near the entrance where the contact begins, and the other is at the end of the reduction zone. FEM simulation was made for calculating the von Mises stresses distribution on the coating and substrate during the drawing process. The present work was of great practical significance for the improvement of drawing performance of diamond-coated drawing dies.
Aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) alloy is very difficult to machine and diamond tools are considered by far the best choice for the machining of these materials. Experimental results in the machining of the Al-Si alloy with diamond coated inserts are presented. Considering the fact that high adhesive strength and fine surface morphology play an importance role in the applications of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond films, multilayer technique combining the hot filament CVD (HFCVD) method is proposed, by which multilayer diamond-coating on silicon nitride inserts is obtained, microcrystalline diamond (MCD)/ nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) film. Also, the conventional monolayer NCD and MCD coated inserts are produced for comparison. The as-deposited diamond films are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Raman spectrum. All the CVD diamond coated inserts and uncoated insert endure the aluminum-silicon alloy turning to estimate their cutting performances. Among all the tested inserts, the MCD/NCD coated insert exhibits the perfect behavior as tool wear due to its very low flank wear and no diamond peeling.
Tribological properties of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond films greatly affect its application in the mechanical field. In this paper, a novel multilayer structure is proposed, with which multilayer diamond films are deposited on silicon carbide by hot filament CVD (HFCVD) method. The different micrometric diamond grains are produced by adjusting deposition parameters. The as-deposited multilayer diamond films are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and white-light interferometry. The friction tests performed on a reciprocating ball-on-plate tribometer suggest that silicon carbide presents the friction coefficient of 0.400 for dry sliding against silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic counterface. With the water lubrication, the corresponding friction coefficients of silicon carbide and as-deposited multilayer diamond films further reduce to 0.193 and 0.051, respectively. The worn surfaces indicate that multilayer diamond films exhibit considerably high wear resistance.