Arc Vapor Deposition Coating of AlSi12 on Thin Austenitic Stainless Steel Wires: Parameter Optimization and Uniformity Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37375/a5xd1111الكلمات المفتاحية:
Arc-PVD; AlSi12 coating; Thin wire; Coating uniformity; Adhesion testالملخص
This study investigates the deposition of AlSi12 coatings on thin stainless steel (1.4310) wires with a diameter of 0.2 mm using Arc Physical Vapor Deposition (Arc-PVD). The research was conducted in two stages: first, systematic optimization of deposition parameters on bulk stainless steel substrates, followed by coating application on thin wires using the optimized conditions. The coating parameters including bias voltage, arc current, argon pressure, and etching temperature were optimized through scratch adhesion testing to maximize coating-substrate adhesion. The optimal conditions were identified as a bias voltage of 30 V, arc current of 70 A, argon pressure of 0.06 Pa, and etching temperature of 450 °C, yielding critical loads of 10.8 N for duplex stainless steel (1.4410) and 9.7 N for austenitic stainless steel (1.4310). Subsequently, two thin wire coating configurations were evaluated: a dual cathode setup (cathodes positioned on the right and left sides) and a single cathode setup. Metallographic examination revealed that the dual-cathode configuration with sample rotation produced a uniform AlSi12 coating with an average thickness of 2.5 μm along the entire 30 cm wire length. In contrast, the single-cathode configuration resulted in non-uniform coverage, with coating observed only on the top and middle sections (1.5 μm average thickness) and virtually no deposition on the bottom section. These findings demonstrate that dual-cathode positioning is essential for achieving uniform coating distribution on thin wire substrates in Arc-PVD systems.
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