TransForum Vol. 9, No. 1

Facility Spotlight: The Tribology Center's CemeCon

CemeCon Coating Chamber

Friction in moving engine components (e.g., camshafts, pistons) is a significant source of parasitic energy loss that wastes fuel. In addition, premature wear of a part incurs its own replacement energy costs.

To improve the performance of a component that has high friction or wears out prematurely (e.g., metal, ceramic or polymer), a coating can be applied to the surface to reduce friction or make it more wear-resistant, or both.

Argonne’s CemeCon plasma vapor deposition (PVD) system shown at right is used to deposit coatings onto manufactured parts. The new and novel coatings enhance the durability and/or efficiency of transportation systems.

One Argonne coating discovery based on hydrogenated carbon, Near Frictionless Carbon, received an R&D 100 Award in 1998. Researchers Ali Erdemir, George Fenske, and Osman Eryilmaz found that this unique material can be deposited on a wide variety of surfaces and possesses low friction under many conditions. It is several times harder than steel and is wear-resistant. The coating is deposited from a plasma using carbon-containing gases. This technology is currently being considered for licensing by several companies.

A different coating material, termed “super-hard nanocomposite,” makes use of the strengthening effect of nano-sized grains to produce a surface many times harder than steel, which has superior wear properties. This is produced using reactive sputter deposition.

The carbon and super-hard coatings are typically one micrometer in thickness, and thus do not harm the tolerance or accuracy of a part.

The CemeCon PVD system is part of Argonne’s Tribology Laboratory. Check out the Tribology Lab's online tour.

May 2009