Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of (TiAlNb)N Films
(TiAlNb)N hard reactive films are prepared by multi-arc ion plating technology using the combination of Ti-50Al (at%) and Ti-25Nb (at%) alloy targets. The high speed steel (HSS) is adopted as substrate. The surface and cross-fracture morphology, the surface compositions and the phase structures of the as-deposited (TiAlNb)N films are observed and measured by scan electronic microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanical properties including the micro-hardness, the adhesion between film and substrate, the thermal shock resistance of the as-deposited (TiAlNb)N films are systemically investigated. The effects of deposition bias voltage and the addition of Nb element on the as-deposited (TiAlNb)N films are discussed. The optimally comprehensive performances, especially hardness and thermal shock resistance, exhibited by (TiAlNb)N films with bias voltage of 100V.