Modification of surface properties on a nitride based coating films through mirror-quality finish grinding

In this study, we performed a specific precision grinding process in an attempt to improve the mirror-quality finish and tribological characteristics of titanium nitride based coating films (TiN, TiCN, and TiAIN). The ground surfaces were highly smooth with no evidence of cracking, chipping, or peeling, demonstrating that the hard coating films were finished uniformly. For the TiAIN coating, a significant high level mirror-quality finish was achieved with an average roughness Ra of 4 nm. In addition, for all films, the employed grinding process led to superior tribological characteristics. In the case of the TiN film, the precision grinding process produced a carbon- and copper-rich surface layer, as well as higher compressive residual stress.