Measurement of the residual stress in CrN coatings deposited on an Al alloy substrate

Chromium nitride (CrN) coatings were deposited on Al alloy substrates using the arc ion plating method with different bias voltages and different thicknesses. The residual stresses of these samples were measured via x-ray diffraction using the sin2 ψ method because the CrN crystals in the coatings were nonoriented. The stress gradient across the CrN coating was calculated from the curved 2θ-sin2 ψ diagram. In the case of CrN coatings deposited at low bias voltage, the compressive residual stress that formed at the substrate interface was larger than the stress at the surface of the CrN coating. Conversely, in the case of CrN coatings deposited at high bias voltage, the compressive residual stress on the surface of the CrN coating was larger than the stress on the interface with the substrate. In CrN coatings deposited at high bias voltage, very large compressive residual stress on the CrN coating surface decreased with increasing coating thickness