Objective This project has addressed the following items: the development of specific test rigs for the simulation of contact vibrations over a broad range of testing parameters, the identification of the major parameters influencing the deterioration of hard coatings (like TiN, diamond and amorphous diamondlike carbon coatings) in vibrating contacts in which simultaneously normal static loading and additional tangentail static and cyclic loads are present, the modelling of the crack risk in materials subjected to vibrational wear, the set up of guidelines and selection criteria for the optimum use of hard coatings in vibrating contacts. The resulting benefit is the availability of a methodology for the material selection for parts as vibrating contacts and its experimental validation. A method has been developed for the calculation of the crack risk in vibrating contacts, for the determination of the wear rate in vibrating contacts, and a database useful as a tool for material selection.The aim of this research is to provide a scientific base for the understanding of the process of wear initiation and for the unravelling of damage mechanisms leading to failure of hard coatings used under vibrational contact conditions. Coating materials selected are representative of four types of hard coatings, some of them being under development, namely a superhard coating (diamond), a hard coating with a low coefficient of friction (diamond-like carbon), a hard coating already introduced in industry and used as reference material in this project (TiN), and an artificially structured coating (NiP/Sn compositionally modulated multilayer) included for modelling purposes.Three actions are planned :- the testing of hard coatings under oscillating contact conditions at low displacement amplitude, in a reciprocating mode, at small displacement combined with a tangential static loading, and with compounded fatigue loading. The complementary of the equipment available at the different partners offers a unique testing range in terms of normal load, displacement amplitude, frequency range, and controlled relative humidity,- the on-line detection of wear initiation in vibrating contacts and off-line characterization of the wear induced on the hard coatings. In that respect selected state-of-the-art techniques will be supplemented by innovative methods like charged particle emission, lateral atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform demodulation profilometry,- the modelling of the velocity accommodation mechanism in vibrating contacts.Expected benefits are the development of in-situ monitoring of wear initiation in vibrating contacts and the set-up of guidelines for an optimum selection of hard coatings for use in vibrating contacts. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopynatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrypost-transition metalsengineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films Programme(s) FP3-BRITE/EURAM 2 - Specific programme (EEC) of research and technological development in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1990-1994 Topic(s) 2.1.3 - Maintainability and reliability Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN Address De croylaan 2 3001 Leuven Belgium See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all FEDERAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIAL RESEARCH AND TESTING Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address 87,unter der eichen 87 12205 Berlin See on map Liverpool John Moores University United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Byrom street L3 3AF Liverpool See on map UNIV UPPSALA Sweden EU contribution € 0,00 Address Po box 534 751 21 Uppsala See on map École Centrale de Lyon France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 36 avenue guy de collongue 69131 Ecully See on map