DLC gathers a very large family of vacuum amorphous deposit carbon base materials. Depending on the conditions, the properties of these layers are intimately linked to the implementation processes that can be either physical (PVD : evaporation by arc, magnetron pulverization) either generally chemical (PACVD). The composition of the layers, the layout of the connections affects the properties such as hardness, the elasticity module, the wettability, the optical transparency… For example, the a-C:H type layers can see their hardness vary between 300 and 3500 Hv.
Among the singular characteristics of these materials, we notice an elastic behavior very pronounced. The deposit technology put into place by IREIS allows to cover the entire materials described in the Robertson diagram for very numerous applications in the domain of friction reduction.
The DLC layers family has known an important takeoff in the domain of tribology, weather it is on aspect of friction reduction, wear, seizure propensity. In the 1990 years, it was principally the properties of dry friction of those layers that were studied and highlighted. In particular, the DLC give a very good answer to friction with many antagonistic, including against material with a “bad” reputation for friction, like inox steel, titanium alloys,…
Since the beginning of the 2000 years, the DLC layers are introduced in the domain of friction. The interesting properties of friction reduction in lubrificated environment have nothing to do with the dry friction properties of those materials. The DLC layers are unique by the fact that those materials see their roughness reduced on the contrary of the entire other materials. As a result, we have a shifting of the regime transitions of lubrification of the Stribeck curve to the low speeds and so a friction reduction.