Tribological Properties of Ni–B and Ni–P Coatings under Friction in a Biodegradable Oil Environment

The structure, phase composition and tribotechnical properties of Ni–2.8B and Ni–8.8P coatings were studied during friction in a biodegradable lubricant based on rapeseed oil. It is shown that in the initial state, the deposited Ni–B and Ni–P coatings have the structure of an interstitial-substituted solid solution of boron/phosphorus in a nickel matrix phase containing a large number of crystal lattice defects. It was found that annealing of Ni–2.8B and Ni–8.8P coatings at 280 °C and 420 °C, respectively, leads to the decomposition of the supersaturated solid solution of boron and phosphorus atoms in the matrix nickel phase with the release of strengthening intermetallic compounds Ni₃B and Ni₃P. The release of strengthening phases during annealing of Ni–2.8B and Ni–8.8P coatings is accompanied by an increase in their microhardness to 1020 HV 0.05 and 870 HV 0.05, respectively. It is shown that annealed nickel-boron and nickel-phosphorus coatings are characterized by high wear resistance and a low coefficient of friction during frictional interaction in a biodegradable lubricant environment. The highest tribotechnical properties are achieved when using an annealed Ni–2.8B coating. It has been established that during the friction process, an increase in microhardness and physical broadening of the diffraction lines of the matrix solid solution of nickel coatings is recorded, which indicates the generation of dislocations in their surface layers. The intensity of linear wear of nickel coatings corresponds to class 9 of wear resistance of friction pair materials. It was established that the modifying Au–Co film applied to the surface of nickel coatings does not have a significant effect on the wear resistance of the coatings under high specific loads of tribotechnical tests.

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