Abstract
Diamond–Like carbon (DLC) films have been widely recognized as a tribo–coating material because of its outstanding mechanical properties. When DLC films are distorted with the deformation of the soft substrate, it is problem that fragile DLC films are strongly damaged. In this study segment–structured DLC films were prepared on Al substrate to prevent fractures of DLC film. Deformation behavior of segment–structured DLC films was investigated by four–point bending and ball–on–disk test. In bending test, substrate strain under groove was significantly larger than average strain. It is also indicated that strain of segment–structured DLC films were decreased from the result of FEA. Tribological properties of segment–structured DLC film were superior to continuous film when the surface coverage ratio for segment structure of DLC film is larger than 70%.
