Abstract
Carbon fibre reinforced aluminium offers a very wide range of advanced properties in comparison with monolithic aluminium. However, little effort has beencarried out in terms of improving the functionality of composite surfaces. Chemical resistance, high hardness and rigidity, and low density could make diamondlike carbon (DLC) films potential candidates for coatings on MMCs. The following studies are addressed to proving the adhesion of DLC to carbon fibre reinforced aluminium and to characterising the wear behaviour of the MMC substrates and coated MMCs. Scratch test results indicate no debonding of the DLC coating, but show cohesive damage. Further, results of scanning electron microscopy confirm good bonding between the MMCs and the coating. Tribological investigation of the DLC coated MMCs reveals significantly improvedwear resistance. The fibre orientation influences the micro hardness as well as the wear resistance of the substrates and the coated MMCs.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.