Protection of CK45 carbon steel tillage tools using TiN coating deposited by an arc-PVD method

Titanium nitride (TiN) was coated on tillage sweep duck blades by using an arc-PVD method to increase their useful lifetime and to protect against wear. The XRD and EDX experiments indicated high-quality crystalline TiN layers. The wear resistance of the blades was examined on a loamy agricultural field. The surface roughness and wear behavior of the coated blades were also studied at different travelling distances. The draft force of both coated and uncoated blades was measured in a soil bin. The soil bin data exhibited decrement in draft force of the coated blades as distance increased. The crystalline TiN formed by the arc-PVD method showed promising resistance to wear. The coefficient of friction was measured to be 0.3 for the coated blades.