Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

The tribological and microstructural properties of gas-pressure
sintered Si3N4 ceramics after chromium implantation have been investigated
in dependence on implantation energy. The fluence was kept constant at
1017 ions/cm2. The wear of the modified material is reduced for a load
of 2 N independent of ion energy. This behaviour is accompanied by a slight
incerase of the friction coefficient. At higher loads only high energy
implantations result in an improved wear behaviour. The microstructural
investigations show that no new phase are formed due to implantation. For
all energies a part of the surface becomes amorphous. For smaller energies
this amorphous layer reaches up to the surface whereas at higher energies
it is covered by still crystalline but damaged material. The amorphization
of the surface is accompanied by a large surface swelling which incerases
with implantation energy. We discuss the relationship between the microstructural
features and the observed wear behaviour.