DIAMOND LIKE CARBON (DLC) COATINGS IN AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS

Introduction
It has been established that a remarkable amount of the mechanical power losses of the
engine emerge at the sub-systems of the internal combustion engine and 10% alleviation in
mechanical losses would lead to 1.5% reduction in fuel consumption [1]. Friction losses take
place primarily at the pistons, piston rings, bearings and valve mechanism. Application of
new friction modifiers as well as implementing novel coatings for some of the engine
components such as valve train and piston rings/liner, can minimise the frictional losses and
wear and thereby improvement in fuel efficiency can be achieved which is obviously
desirable. One such technique by which engine efficiency may be improved by reducing
friction losses is through the introduction of low friction coating technology such as
diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings [2]. DLC coatings have been proven to have a wide
variety of applications ranging from prolonging lifetimes of tooling to reducing friction and
wear in engine components.

DLC coatings and their application in Engine components

DLC is an amorphous carbon coating which consists of sp2, sp3 and hydrogen bonds. The
DLC coatings possess fascinating and effective properties like chemical inertness, low
coefficient of friction, high wear resistance, high hardness and high electrical resistance. Its
properties are based on the ratio of sp2/sp3 bonds. The DLC coatings are integrated with
many doping elements to minimise internal stresses and to improve the adhesion strength of
coatings [3, 4]. Now-a-days, more than thirty automobile engine components are coated with
DLC coatings [5].  DLC coatings are applied on bearings, cams, cam followers, and shafts in
the automobile industry. The valve train and the piston pin are two significant sub-systems of
an automobile engine where DLC coatings are widely employed. Many piston pin
manufacturers adopt this coating technique [6]. The world renowned automobile
manufacturer Nissan has been using DLC coatings in its vehicles and it asserts that the DLC
coatings reduce friction by approximately 40% when compared to the conventional engines
by forming an ultralow friction film on top of DLC film. The company estimates that the
overall friction in the engine can be reduced by 25% with DLC coatings [7].

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 Problems with DLC coatings
Despite being proven to be an efficient coating technique, there are some problems with
regard to lubricant additive and DLC coating compatibility and adhesion/cohesion issues [8,
9]. However, in case of automobiles, the lubricant additive and DLC coating compatibility
has been a major complication because some lubricant additives like MoDTC might cause
wear of DLC. Recent published research has indicated that Molybdenum based friction
modifier (MoDTC) in lubricant oils promotes wear on DLC coatings, despite decreasing
friction and unlike other lubricant additives, anti-wear additive Zinc dialkyl-dithio phosphate
(ZDDP) offers protection of Diamond like carbon (DLC) coating layer against the MoDTC
induced wear, nevertheless it increases friction [9]. Therefore it is essential to optimise the
lubricant and coating compatibility to reduce friction and wear simultaneously.

Conclusion
DLC coatings have proven to be very efficient in reducing wear and friction in automobiles
and thereby increasing the engine efficiency. Nevertheless the lubricant additive and DLC
compatibility is being a major issue as some additives cause DLC wear. This has been a
broad area of research and optimisation of DLC and lubricant additive compatibility is
expected to be achieved soon based on the global research undertaken in this aspect.

References
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challenges for the future. Tribology International. 37(7),pp.517-536.
2. Jost, H. and Schofield, J. 1981. Energy saving through tribology: a techno–economic
study. ARCHIVE: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers 1847-1982 (vols 1-
196). 195(1981),pp.151-173.
3. Ronkainen, H., Likonen, J. and Koskinen, J. 1992. Tribological properties of hard carbon
films produced by the pulsed vacuum arc discharge method. Surface and Coatings
Technology. 54-55,pp.570-575.
4. Robertson, J. 2002. Diamond-like amorphous carbon. Materials Science and Engineering:
R: Reports. 37(4-6),pp.129-281.

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5. Hershberger, J., Öztürk, O., Ajayi, O., Woodford, J., Erdemir, A., Erck, R. and Fenske, G.
2004. Evaluation of DLC coatings for spark-ignited, direct-injected fuel systems. Surface and
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racing-engines.
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TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. [Online]. [Accessed 7 February
2017]. Available from: http://www.nissan-
global.com/EN/TECHNOLOGY/OVERVIEW/dlc.html.
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Richterprecision.com. [Online].Available from: http://www.richterprecision.com/dlc-
coatings.html.
9. Kosarieh, S., Morina, A., Lainé, E., Flemming, J. and Neville, A. 2013. The effect of
MoDTC-type friction modifier on the wear performance of a hydrogenated DLC coating.
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