Abstract
Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been deposited on various aluminum alloys by ion plating method. Prior to DLC deposition, various interlayers were deposited on the alloys using several deposition methods. Tribological properties of such coated materials were measured using the ball-on-disk characterization method. Aluminum alloys improved by DLC films was friction coefficient of about 0.2 to 0.3. It was also found that the nature of the interlayer has an influence on the wear properties of the DLC film. It was also found out that the best interlayer is different for each type of aluminum alloy. Between the tested combinations of interlayers/aluminum alloys, 6061 alloy with a SiC interlayer showed the most excellent wear properties.
