Low Friction and High Wear Resistance of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO)-Coated AZ31 Mg Alloy Sliding against Hydrogenated DLC (a-C-H) at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) treatment of Mg alloys improves their wear resistance by increasing their surface hardness, but also leads to high coefficient of friction (COF) values. The sliding counterfaces and the conditions under which PEO-coated Mg alloys operate affect their COFs. PEO-coated AZ31 alloy sliding against hydrogenated DLC (a-C-H) coated steel yields a low COF of 0.13 under the ambient conditions. The current study investigates the effect of the test temperature on the tribological behavior of PEO-coated AZ31 Mg samples sliding against the a-C-H coated counterface at temperatures up to 300 °C. According to the COF vs. wear rate diagram constructed in the temperature range of 25–250 °C, lower COF values and wear rates were exhibited by PEO-coated AZ31 sliding against a-C-H compared to uncoated AZ31 sliding against a-C-H, and PEO coated AZ31 sliding against an uncoated ASTM 52100 steel. The PEO-coated AZ31 produced the lowest COF of 0.03 at 200 °C. The application of PEO to the Mg alloy automotive cylinder bores running against DLC-coated piston rings and/or PEO-coated Mg alloy pistons running against DLC-coated bores could provide a new approach for the prevention of seizure and hot scuffing in lightweight engines in the temperature range between 150–250 °C.