• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.179-188
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• 2021

Reputed for their low friction coefficient and wear protection effect, diamond-like carbon (DLC) materials are considered amongst the most important lubricant coatings for tribological applications. In this framework, this investigation aims to elucidate the effect of a few operating parameters, such as applied stress and sliding amplitude on the friction lifetime of DLC coatings. Fretting wear tests are conducted using a 12.7 mm radius counterpart of 52100 steel balls slid against a substrate of the same material coated with a 2 ㎛ thickness DLC. Approximately, 5 to 57 N force is applied, generating a maximum Hertzian contact pressure of 430 to 662 MPa, corresponding to the applied force. The coefficient of friction (CoF) generates three regimes, first a running-in period regime, followed by a steady-state evolution regime, and finally a progressive increase of the CoF reaching the steel CoF value, as an indicator of reaching the substrate. To track the wear scenario, interrupted tests are performed with analysis combining scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), 3D profilometer and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results show two endurance values: one characterizing the coating failure (Nc₁), and the other (Nc₂) indicating the friction failure which is situated where the CoF reaches a threshold value of μ_th = 0.3 in the third regime. The Archard energy density factor is used to determine the two endurance values (Nc₁, Nc₂). Based on this approach, a master curve is established delimitating both the coating and the friction endurances.