Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtered Multilayer - Unique Corrosion and Erosion Resistant Coatings

Environmentally friendly coating substitutes for electroplated Al, Cr ad Cd parts is a continuing need for government and industrialmanufacturing operations. TA&T proposes a new approach CLOSED FIELD UNBALANCED MAGNETRON SPUTTERING that promises high density, high adhesion, and corrosion resistant coatings with tailorable friction and wear properties. This propsal outlines a systematic plan to demonstrate the feasability of novel, multilayers coatings for corrosion and wear applications. A planar magnetron sputtering deposition system will be upgraded to a Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron configuration to allow uniform deposition of high quality corrosion resistant coatings. Three different material systems will be deposited, optimized and tested: NiCr/Zn, Ti/BN and TiC/SiC. These coatings will be deposited and evaluated on bearing races. Feedback from these tests and post test compositional and microstructural analysis will provide guidance for compositional and processing refinements in Phase II. Anticipated Military Benefits/Potential Commercial Applications of the Research and Development: These multilayers coatings have corrosion and wear resistance applications in aerospace, automotive, chemical, energy, argricultural, and metal forming industries that represent millions of dollars in savings to the US economy.