Improvement of the corrosion and tribological properties of CSS-42L aerospace bearing steel using carbon ion implantation

The aerospace bearings steel CSS-42L was ion implanted by carbon with implantation fluxes of 5 × 10 ¹⁶ ions cm ⁻² . The composition, microstructure and hardness of the carbon implanted samples were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nanoindentation tests. The corrosion and tribological properties were also evaluated in the present work. The results shown that carbon implantation produced an amorphous layer and graphitic bounds formed at the near surface of CSS-42L steel. In the electrochemical test, the carbon implanted samples suggested lower current densities and corrosion rates. Carbon ion implanted samples shown a relative Cr-enrichment at the surface as compared with nonimplanted samples. The improved corrosion resistance is believed to be related to the formed amorphous layer, the enhancement of Cr diffusion in the carbon implantation layer which contributed the formation of passive film on the surface, the decrease of free electrons which caused by the increase of carbon fraction. The external hard layer had positive effect on the wear resistance, reducing strongly the friction coefficient about 30% and the abrasive-adhesive mechanism present in the unimplanted samples was not modified by the implantation process.