Description
The tribological requirements are relatively high for plastic components in energy-efficient systems due to the demand of low friction and good wear protection. Numerous established test methods are not suitable for coated plastics because of the very small layer thickness in combination with a comparatively soft polymer as a substrate material.
Based on an approach which is generally applicable to coated systems, in this presented work test methods are selected, adapted and developed which are particularly suited for the characterization of thin hard coatings on soft substrates. The Young´s modulus of the coatings is evaluated by a combined method of instrumented indentation test and numerical calculation. By using regression models instead of further FE-simulations it is possible to speed up the subsequent application of the method.
A modified scratch test creates multi-axial stress states which are comprehended by FE-simulations. The mechanical limits of the layer-substrate composite are determined and the effects of parameter modifications are illustrated.
The impact of thin hard layers on the stiffness and the natural frequencies of the whole component is analytically examined and experimentally tested. The tribological and functional potential for the application on coated roller bearing cages is demonstrated for hard and tribological relevant coatings and compared with common cage materials.
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