The development of CR-SI-LA-MN alloy steels with dissipative properties and their surface modification by deposition of nanostructured wear-resistant TiN-Ni coatings.

Abstract

This article presents the results of a comprehensive study of newly developed Cr-Si-La-Mn alloy steels with enhanced damping properties intended for operation under dynamic and vibration loading conditions. The research is focused on increasing the vibration energy dissipation capacity of structural steels through the formation of multifunctional nanostructured ceramic-metallic coatings on their surface.To further improve the damping characteristics, TiN-Ni coatings with different nickel contents were deposited onto the steel substrates by ion-plasma vacuum-arc deposition. The influence of the coating composition and deposition parameters on the structural evolution, phase composition, morphology, and functional properties of the coating-substrate system was investigated. The deposited coatings were found to possess a dense nanostructured architecture consisting of titanium nitride phases and a metallic nickel component, which contributes to the enhancement of energy dissipation mechanisms. The study demonstrates that the damping behavior of coated steels is governed not only by the intrinsic damping capacity of the substrate and coating materials but also by additional dissipation mechanisms arising at the coating-substrate interface. These mechanisms include interfacial friction, microplastic deformation, stress redistribution, dislocation interactions, and the scattering of elastic waves at phase and structural boundaries. The presence of a nanostructured coating significantly increases the ability of the material to absorb and dissipate mechanical vibration energy.Comparative analysis of uncoated and coated specimens revealed that TiN-Ni coatings substantially improve the acoustic and damping characteristics of the developed steels. The highest damping performance was achieved for coatings with an optimized nickel content, providing an effective combination of hardness, wear resistance, and vibration attenuation. The obtained results indicate that the proposed coating-substrate systems are promising materials for machine-building, power engineering, transport, and other applications where simultaneous requirements for high mechanical strength, wear resistance, noise reduction, and vibration suppression are imposed.