A bearing steel ball surface lubrication coating process

Abstract

The present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubrication coating process, which relates to the field of steel ball surface lubrication processes. The process is based on a bearing steel ball surface lubrication coating process, including: S1. Using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, and using a mixed gas of argon and hydrogen to remove and reduce impurities and oxides. When the temperature is less than 300°C, Ag can provide sufficient lubrication ability, while when the temperature is higher, in a high-temperature friction environment of 700°C, Mo is oxidized in the air environment. MoO3 is the main lubricating component, and the TaC coating is the main hardness support layer and wear-resistant layer. The bearing steel ball can achieve high lubrication performance in different application environments as the temperature changes. The use of high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering technology can greatly improve the bonding strength and density of the coating, reduce defects, and reduce roughness, thereby improving the wear resistance of the steel ball and improving the service life and precision of the bearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of steel ball surface lubrication technology, in particular to a bearing steel ball surface lubrication coating technology. Background Art

[0002] Precision bearings, as essential components in mechanical equipment, have a direct impact on their performance. They are typically used in demanding operating conditions, such as high rotational speeds, long fatigue life, and high operational stability. Specifically, the rotating element (steel ball) must exhibit high vibration accuracy, high-speed rotation, low friction coefficient, and low wear rate. Therefore, improving the wear resistance of precision bearing steel balls is one effective way to ensure their performance stability. The working surface and core of bearing parts have significant differences in condition, structure, and performance requirements. Overall heat treatment often makes it difficult to achieve both, preventing the material from fully realizing its potential. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process, which solves the problem that the coating cannot adapt to different ambient temperatures and has poor lubrication performance.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: A bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process, comprising:

[0005] S1. Using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, a mixture of argon and hydrogen is used to remove and reduce impurities and oxides;

[0006] S2. Deposit Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr and other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball using high-power magnetron sputtering. The target materials used are Ag, Cr, Ni or NiCr alloys in any proportion. Sputtering treatment is performed before deposition.

[0007] S3. Deposition of Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr and other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball, argon gas is 70-150sccm, target power is 2-10kW, frequency is 20-500Hz, pulse width is 50-200μs, bias voltage is 20-200V, coating thickness is 20-500nm;

[0008] S4. Ag was deposited on the surface of the transition layer of the steel ball as a low-temperature lubricating layer. Ag was deposited on the surface of the steel ball by high-power magnetron sputtering. The target material used was Ag, argon was 70-150 sccm, the target power was 2-10kW, the frequency was 20-500 Hz, the pulse width was 50-200 μs, the bias voltage was 20-200 V, and the thickness was 20-80 nm.

[0009] S5. A Mo lubricating layer was deposited on the surface of the Ag layer. Ag was deposited on the surface of the steel ball by high-power magnetron sputtering. The target material used was Mo, argon was 70-150 sccm, target power was 2-10 kW, frequency was 20-500 Hz, pulse width was 50-200 μs, bias voltage was 20-200 V, and transition layer thickness was 20-80 nm.

[0010] S6. Depositing TaC on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to increase hardness and provide lubrication properties, using high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit TaC on the surface;

[0011] S7. Repeat steps S4-S6 until the total coating thickness is 100-500 nm.

[0012] Preferably, the argon gas in S1 is 50-150 sccm, the hydrogen gas is 10-50 sccm, the processing time is 10-60 min, and the roughness change does not exceed 50 nm.

[0013] Preferably, the argon gas in S2 is 70-150 sccm, the target power is 2-10 kW, the frequency is 20-500 Hz, the pulse width is 50-200 μs, and the bias voltages are 800 V, 600 V, and 400 V, respectively, for sputtering of 20-120 s each.

[0014] Preferably, the target material in S6 is carbon, the argon gas is 70-150 sccm, the target power is 2-10 kW, the frequency is 20-500 Hz, the pulse width is 50-200 μs, the bias voltage is 20-200 V, and the thickness is 50-100 nm.

[0015] The present invention provides a process for lubricating the surface of a bearing steel ball. It has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] At temperatures below 300°C, Ag can provide sufficient lubrication. At higher temperatures, in a high-temperature friction environment of 700°C, Mo oxidizes in the air. MoO3 serves as the main lubricating component, and the TaC coating serves as the main hardness support layer and wear-resistant layer. The bearing steel balls can achieve high lubrication performance in different application environments as the temperature changes.

[0017] The use of high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering technology can greatly improve the bonding strength and density of the coating, reduce defects, and reduce roughness. It can also improve the wear resistance of the steel ball and increase the service life and precision of the bearing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Example 1

[0020] The embodiment of the present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process, comprising: S1. using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, using a mixed gas of argon and hydrogen to remove and reduce impurities and oxides, argon 100 sccm, hydrogen 20 ccm, processing time 20 min, roughness change does not exceed 50 nm, S2. using high power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr or other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball, the target material used is Ag, Cr, Ni or NiCr alloy of any proportion was sputtered before deposition with argon gas of 100 sccm, target power of 5 kW, frequency of 100 Hz, pulse width of 100 μs, bias voltage of 800 V, 600 V, and 400 V for 60 s each. S3. Transition layers of Ag, Cr, Ni, and NiCr were deposited on the surface of the steel ball with argon gas of 100 sccm, target power of 5 kW, frequency of 100 Hz, pulse width of 100 μs, bias voltage of 100 V, and coating thickness of 50 nm. S4. Deposit Ag on the surface of the transition layer of the steel ball as a low-temperature lubricating layer. Use high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the surface of the steel ball. The target material used is Ag, the argon gas is 100 sccm, the target power is 5 kW, the frequency is 100z, the pulse width is 100μs, the bias voltage is 50V, and the thickness is 50nm. S5. Deposit Mo lubricating layer on the surface of the Ag layer. Use high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the surface of the steel ball. The target material used is Mo, the argon gas is 120 sccm, the target power is 50kW, and the frequency is 200Hz, pulse width 100μs, bias 50V, transition layer thickness 50nm, S6. TaC is deposited on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to increase the hardness and have lubricating properties. High-power magnetron sputtering is used to deposit TaC on its surface. The target material used is carbon, argon is 90sccm, target power is 5kW, frequency is 100Hz, pulse width is 100μs, bias is 50V, and thickness is 30nm. S7. Repeat steps S4-S6, and the total coating thickness is 100-500nm.

[0021] Example 2

[0022] The embodiment of the present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process, comprising: S1. using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, using a mixed gas of argon and hydrogen to remove and reduce impurities and oxides, argon 100 sccm, hydrogen 20 sccm, processing time 20 minutes, roughness change not exceeding 50nm, S2. using high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr and other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball, the target materials used are Ag, Cr, N i or NiCr alloy of any proportion, sputtering treatment was performed before deposition, with argon gas of 100 sccm, target power of 5 kW, frequency of 100 Hz, pulse width of 100 μs, bias voltage of 800 V, 600 V, and 400 V for 60 sputtering each, S3. Transition layers of Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr, etc. were deposited on the surface of the steel ball, with argon gas of 100 sccm, target power of 5 kW, frequency of 100 Hz, pulse width of 100 μs, bias voltage of 100 V, and transition layer thickness of 50n m, S4. Deposit Ag on the surface of the transition layer of the steel ball as a low-temperature lubricating layer. Use high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the surface of the steel ball. The target material used is Ag, the argon gas is 100 sccm, the target power is 5 kW, the frequency is 100 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias voltage is 50 V, and the thickness is 30 nm. S5. Deposit Mo lubricating layer on the surface of the Ag layer. Use high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the surface of the steel ball. The target material used is Mo, the argon gas is 120 sccm, the target power is 50 kW, The frequency is 200 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias is 50 V, and the transition layer thickness is 30 nm. S6. TaC is deposited on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to increase the hardness and have lubricating properties. High-power magnetron sputtering is used to deposit TaC on its surface. In S6, the target material is carbon, the argon gas is 90 sccm, the target power is 5 kW, the frequency is 100 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias is 50 V, and the thickness is 20 nm. S7. Repeat steps S4-S6, and the total coating thickness is 200 nm.

[0023] Example 3

[0024] The embodiment of the present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process, comprising: S1. using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, using a mixed gas of argon and hydrogen to remove and reduce impurities and oxides, argon 100 sccm, hydrogen 20 sccm, processing time 20 minutes, roughness change not exceeding 50nm, S2. using high power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr and other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball, the target materials used are Ag, Cr, Ni Or NiCr alloy of any proportion, sputtering treatment is carried out before deposition, with argon gas of 100 sccm, target power of 5 kW, frequency of 100 Hz, pulse width of 100 μs, bias voltage of 800 V, 600 V, and 400 V for 60 s each, S3. Transition layers of Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr, etc. are deposited on the surface of the steel ball, with argon gas of 100 sccm, target power of 5 kW, frequency of 100 Hz, pulse width of 100 μs, bias voltage of 100 V, and transition layer thickness of 50 nm. m, S4. Deposit Ag on the surface of the transition layer of the steel ball as a low-temperature lubricating layer. Use high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the surface of the steel ball. The target material used is Ag, the argon gas is 100 sccm, the target power is 5 kW, the frequency is 100 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias voltage is 50 V, and the thickness is 50 nm. S5. Deposit Mo lubricating layer on the surface of the Ag layer. Use high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the surface of the steel ball. The target material used is Mo, the argon gas is 120 sccm, the target power is 50 kW, The frequency is 200 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias is 50 V, and the transition layer thickness is 50 nm. S6. TaC is deposited on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to increase the hardness and have lubricating properties. High-power magnetron sputtering is used to deposit TaC on its surface. In S6, the target material is carbon, the argon gas is 90 sccm, the target power is 5 kW, the frequency is 100 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias is 50 V, and the thickness is 30 nm. S7. Repeat steps S4-S6, and the total coating thickness is 200 nm.

[0025] Comparative Example 1:

[0026] The embodiment of the present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process, comprising: S1. depositing Ag as a low-temperature lubricating layer on the surface of the steel ball transition layer, using high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the steel ball surface, the target material used is Ag, the argon gas is 100 sccm, the target power is 5 kW, the frequency is 100 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias voltage is 50 V, and the thickness is 50 nm; S2. depositing a Mo lubricating layer on the Ag layer surface, using high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag on the steel ball surface, the target material used is Mo, the argon gas is 120s ccm, target power of 50kW, frequency of 200Hz, pulse width of 100μs, bias of 50V, transition layer thickness of 50nm, S3. TaC is deposited on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to improve the hardness and have lubricating properties. High-power magnetron sputtering is used to deposit TaC on its surface. The target material is carbon, the argon gas is 90sccm, the target power is 5kW, the frequency is 100Hz, the pulse width is 100μs, the bias is 50V, and the thickness is 30nm. S7. Repeat steps S1-S3, and the total coating thickness is 200nm.

[0027] Comparative Example 2:

[0028] The embodiment of the present invention provides a bearing steel ball surface lubrication coating process, including: S1. using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, using a mixed gas of argon and hydrogen to remove and reduce impurities and oxides, argon 100sccm, hydrogen 20sccm, processing time 20min, roughness change not exceeding 50nm, S2. using high-power magnetron sputtering to deposit Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr and other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball, the target material used is Ag, Cr, Ni or NiCr alloy in any proportion, sputtering treatment is performed before deposition, argon is 100sccm, target power is 5kW, frequency is 100Hz, pulse width is 100μs, bias voltage is 800V, 600V, 400V, each sputtering for 60s, S3. depositing Ag, Cr, Ni, NiCr and other transition layers on the surface of the steel ball, argon is 100sccm, target power is 5kW, frequency is 1 00Hz, pulse width 100μs, bias voltage 100V, transition layer thickness 50nm, S4. Ag was deposited on the surface of the transition layer of the steel ball as a low-temperature lubricating layer. Ag was deposited on the surface of the steel ball by high-power magnetron sputtering. The target material used was Ag, the argon gas was 100sccm, the target power was 5kW, the frequency was 100Hz, the pulse width was 100μs, the bias voltage was 50V, and the thickness was 50nm. S5. Mo lubricating layer was deposited on the surface of the Ag layer. Ag is deposited on the surface of the steel ball by high-speed magnetron sputtering. The target material used is Mo, the argon gas is 120 sccm, the target power is 50 kW, the frequency is 200 Hz, the pulse width is 100 μs, the bias voltage is 50 V, and the transition layer thickness is 50 nm. S6. TaC is deposited on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to increase the hardness and have lubricating properties. TaC is deposited on its surface by high-power magnetron sputtering. S7. Steps S4-S5 are repeated, and the total coating thickness is 200 nm.

[0029] Roughness Binding strength Nanohardness Friction coefficient (normal temperature) Friction coefficient (700℃) Example 1 0.12 50N 27GPa 0.06 0.11 Example 2 0.14 54N 22GPa 0.15 0.23 Example 3 0.10 49N 24GPa 0.04 0.14 Comparative Example 1 0.16 20N 24 GPa 0.15 0.12 Comparative Example 2 0.11 51N 7GPa 0.03 0.45

[0030] Data Sheet

[0031] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A bearing steel ball surface lubrication coating process, characterized in that: include: S1. Using an anode layer ion source to clean the surface of the metal ball, a mixture of argon and hydrogen is used to remove and reduce impurities and oxides; S2. Depositing a transition layer of Cr, Ni, or NiCr on the surface of a steel ball using high-power magnetron sputtering. The target material used is Cr, Ni, or a NiCr alloy in any proportion. Sputtering treatment is performed before deposition. S3. Deposition of Cr, Ni or NiCr transition layer on the surface of the steel ball, argon gas is 70-150sccm, target power is 2-10kW, frequency is 20-500Hz, pulse width is 50-200μs, bias voltage is 20-200V, coating thickness is 20-500nm; S4. Ag was deposited on the surface of the transition layer of the steel ball as a low-temperature lubricating layer. Ag was deposited on the surface of the steel ball by high-power magnetron sputtering. The target material used was Ag, argon was 70-150 sccm, the target power was 2-10kW, the frequency was 20-500 Hz, the pulse width was 50-200 μs, the bias voltage was 20-200 V, and the thickness was 20-80 nm. S5. A Mo lubricating layer was deposited on the surface of the Ag layer. Ag was deposited on the surface of the steel ball by high-power magnetron sputtering. The target material used was Mo, argon was 70-150 sccm, target power was 2-10 kW, frequency was 20-500 Hz, pulse width was 50-200 μs, bias voltage was 20-200 V, and transition layer thickness was 20-80 nm. S6. TaC is deposited on the surface of the Mo layer as a supporting layer to increase hardness and provide lubrication. TaC is deposited on the surface using high-power magnetron sputtering with a carbon target, 70-150 sccm of argon, 2-10 kW of target power, 20-500 Hz of frequency, 50-200 μs of pulse width, 20-200 V of bias voltage, and a thickness of 50-100 nm. S7. Repeat steps S4-S6 until the total coating thickness is 500 nm.

2. A bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S1, the argon gas is 50-150 sccm, the hydrogen gas is 10-50 sccm, the processing time is 10-60 min, and the roughness change does not exceed 50 nm.

3. A bearing steel ball surface lubricating coating process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S2, the argon gas is 70-150sccm, the target power is 2-10kW, the frequency is 20-500Hz, the pulse width is 50-200μs, and the bias voltage is 800V, 600V, and 400V, respectively, for sputtering of 20-120s each.