Tribology Online, 9, 3 (2014) 135-142.

ISSN 1881-2198
DOI 10.2474/trol.9.135

Review

Diamond-Like Carbon Coating Applied to Automotive Engine Components

Makoto Kano

Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Kanagawa Industrial Technology Center

705-1 Shimoimaizumi, Ebina, Kanagawa 243-0435, Japan
Corresponding author: mkano@kanagawa-iri.jp

( Manuscript received 7 May 2014; accepted 31 July 2014; published 30 September 2014 )

The application of DLC coatings in the automotive industry has increased significantly both in terms of
production volume and the kinds of applications involved. However, elucidation of the fundamental evaluation
and mechanism of friction and wear properties for DLC coating are still far from sufficient level. This article
discusses recent topics concerning the application of DLC coatings to automotive engine components and the
related research for tribological issues of DLC coating. For the application to engine components, several
typical examples are described. As an advanced one, the ta-C coated piston ring which has been applied
recently to both the compression ring and the oil ring of a new mass-produced inline 3-cylinder compact
gasoline engine is shown. The ta-C coated piston ring can reduce engine friction substantially compared with
the conventional Cr plating ring. Additionally, the a-C:H coated aluminum piston which can be accomplished
by shot-peening aluminum alloy substrate with fine tungsten particles shows exellent wear resistance. For
the research, three issues of the super-low friction, the evaluation of adhesion strength and wear resistance and
the rolling fatigue are discussed.

Keywords: diamond-like carbon, engine component, valve lifter, piston ring, piston, friction, wear resistance,
engine application, a-C:H, ta-C

significantly both in terms of production volume and the

1. Introduction. kinds of applications involved. However, elucidation of
the fundamental mechanism of super-low friction
The special issue on “DLC and Diamond Films” had obtained by DLC coating is still far from sufficient level.
been published in the Journal of Japanese Society of
One of this reason is that quantitative evaluation for the
Tribologists at vol. 47, 11. (2002). In this number, construction of the carbon coating is too difficult to
several topics such as “Structure and Properties of
Diamond and DLC Films”, “Recent Deposition
Techniques of DLC and Diamond Films and Their
7000
Properties”, “Improvement in Adhesion of DLC
Coating”, “Application of DLC Coating to Plastic
DLC coating sales value，million Yen

6000 Leaman
shock
Working Tools” and “Application of DLC Coating to 15th Sep.
Sliding Parts in Engine” were reported. In the first topic, 5000
it was described that the word of DLC was not
established as an academic term. Additionally, it is found 4000

that the mass-produced application of DLC coating had

not been started yet. However, DLC coating has been 3000

applied increasingly to actual industrial products in this

2000
last decade.
The total value of sales of DLC coatings in Japan 1000
from 2001 to 2012 (estimated) is shown in Fig. 1 [1]. The
sales value increased linearly from 2 billion yen in 2001
2001 2004 2008 2010 2012
to 7 billion yen in 2012, even though the world economy Budget year
estimated
Yano Research Institute Ltd.
was drastically affected by the collapse of Leman Fig. 1 DLC coating sales of Japanese coating
Brothers on 15th September in 2008. The application of producers [1]
DLC coatings in the automotive industry has increased

Copyright © 2014 Japanese Society of Tribologists 135


obtain sufficiently due to the thin film about 1 micron
thickness made of carbon element mainly with the
amorphous construction. The other one is difficulty of
detecting very thin tribochemical-reacted film adsorbed
on the sliding track directly by conducting surface
analysis.
This article discusses recent topics concerning the
application of DLC coatings to automotive engine
components and the research for DLC tribology.
2. Application to automotive engine components
Typical examples of automotive components coated
with DLC coatings are shown in Table 1. In this last
decade, applications have increased markedly both in
terms of production volume and variety. First, we will
look at some applications other than engine components.
For the coupling clutch application, an amorphous
Si-doped hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H:Si) coating was
applied to the steel plate that slides against the friction
plate in the torque control system used on 4WD SUVs.
The high wear resistance and high friction coefficient of
the a-C:H:Si coating resulted in a compact clutch system.
Additionally, the fact that the friction coefficient of this
coating has a positive slope relative to increasing sliding
velocity provides higher shudder resistance [2]. For the
SUV differential gear application, a tungsten carbide
doped amorphous hydrocarbon (WC/a-C:H) coating was
applied to the gear teeth to improve wear resistance. DLC
coatings can increase the life of gears by suppressing
scuffing wear or spalling wear. In gear applications, it is
easy to coat a DLC film directly on the gear teeth as a
measure for improving wear resistance because the film
is very thin, around 1 micrometer in thickness, and the
temperature in the coating process is very low, below 473
Table 1 Applications of DLC coatings to automotive parts
Applied parts
SUV 4WD torque controlled a-C:H-Si
coupling clutch
SUV differential gear
Motor bike front fork,
Luxury vehicle suspension
Fuel injector, pump
Motor bike engine piston ring WC/a-C:H
Automotive engine valve lifter
Automotive engine piston ring
Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/)
Makoto Kano
K, which means no additional surface finishing is needed.
For the application to the front fork of motorcycles, an
amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) coating was
applied to the steel inner tube of the fork to reduce
friction [3]. This friction reduction helps to give the rider
an excellent driving feel. This coating technology has
also been applied to the sliding members of the
suspension system on luxury vehicles.
Next, we will look at several applications to engine
components. For the fuel injection systems of automotive
engines, DLC coatings have been applied to several
components such as the plunger of high-pressure diesel
fuel pumps. Because the sliding conditions of the fuel
injector and other pump sliding parts have become
severer due to higher contact pressure, several types of
DLC coatings were evaluated for the purpose of
obtaining higher wear resistance under boundary
lubrication in the fuel [4]. The engine valve lifter is the
most successful application of DLC coatings to a
mass-produced component because a fuel-saving effect
is clearly obtained by reducing friction. The shape of the
valve lifter is adjusted to obtain stable coating quality
because the lifter surface to be coated is flat. A
tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) coating, deposited
by an arc ion plating physical vapor deposition (PVD)
method, has been applied to the valve lifters and piston
rings of mass-produced gasoline engines (Fig. 2) to
improve fuel economy by a few percent. This ta-C
coating has been applied recently to both the
compression ring and the oil ring of a new
mass-produced inline 3-cylinder compact gasoline
engine [5]. Friction force, indicated as the distance
between the positive and negative values, was evaluated
in an engine firing test using a single-cylinder gasoline
engine lubricated with standard gasoline engine oil, as
DLC Coating DLC properties
Excellent friction property and
PECVD
wear resistance
WC/a-C:H PECVD High wear resistance to increase
life of gear
Excellent driving feel and high
a-C:H PECVD
wear resistance
High wear resistance in fuel at
a-C:H PECVD
boundary lubrication
High wear resistance mating with
PECVD
aluminum alloy of cylinder
Ultra-low friction and high wear
ta-C PVD resistance
Ultra-low friction and high wear
ta-C PVD resistance
Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 136
 Diamond-Like Carbon Coating Applied to Automotive Engine Components
Valve lifter
バルブリフター
Piston
ピストンリングring
ピストンピン
Piston pin
Fig. 2 DLC coated engine components
shown in Fig. 3 [6]. It was found that a large friction
reduction was obtained for the ta-C coated compression
and oil rings at different crank angles, specifically around
0 deg. for the compression ring and over a wide range of
angles of 180, 360, －180, and －360 deg., but excluding
0 deg., for the oil ring, as shown in Fig. 3. These results
suggested that a severe boundary lubrication condition
probably formed at these different crank angles for the
compression and oil rings. It would be too difficult to
measure these different friction properties directly at the
sliding interfaces between the piston rings and the
Piston-Bore friction by engine with DLC on compression ring
Piston-Bore friction by engine with DLC on oil ring
Fig. 3 Friction reduction by using DLC coated piston
ring [6]
Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/)
cylinder wall during actual engine operation.
Recently, the application of DLC coatings to
aluminum alloys with sufficiently strong adhesion for
obtaining high wear resistance has been developed [7].
This can be accomplished by shot peening the aluminum
alloy substrate with fine tungsten particles. A DLC
(a-C:H:PCVD) coating deposited on the substrate of
A2017 and A5052 aluminum alloys (Japanese Industrial
Standards) with this new process showed 40-80% higher
wear resistance and adhesion strength than DLC coatings
formed by conventional processes. This original DLC
coating technology has been applied to aluminum alloy
pistons of motorcycles. An A2618 aluminum alloy with a
low Si content was used for the pistons because the
development concept was to reduce Si precipitates that
are characterized by poor workability. Si precipitates also
showed the formation of many cracks after the tungsten
shot-peening process. Therefore, the critical load of DLC
coatings on aluminum alloys containing a large amount
of silicon did not show any improvement. Engine firing
tests to evaluate the wear resistance of the DLC coated
piston were conducted as shown in Fig. 4. The DLC
coated piston clearly showed better scuffing wear
resistance than the non-coated piston. The DLC-coated
aluminum piston is a promising technology for
application to automotive gasoline engines to improve
fuel economy substantially and for other sliding parts in
various industrial machines.
3. Research for DLC coating tribology
3.1. Research for reducing friction
In a technical paper entitled “Near-frictionless carbon
coatings for use in fuel injectors and pump systems
operating with low-sulfur diesel fuels” [8], it was
reported that hydrogenated amorphous diamond-like
carbon (DLC) coatings showed a super-low friction
coefficient below 0.01 in sliding tests conducted in an
inert atmosphere such as that of dry nitrogen gas as
shown in Fig. 5 [8-12]. That new finding about the
superior friction property of DLC coatings in the specific
atmosphere triggered their accelerated application to
automotive engine components for reducing friction.
Since all sliding engine components are usually
lubricated with engine oil, it is very important to
investigate the friction properties of DLC coatings under
a lubricated condition. This section describes the effect
of lubricants on the friction of DLC coatings.
The super-low friction property of DLC coatings is
affected by the operating environment conditions, as
mentioned earlier. Therefore, it has been very important
to evaluate the friction properties of DLC coatings under
a lubricated condition to find the right additives for
substantially reducing friction. Because automotive
engine oil contains many kinds of complex additives
such as zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP), it was
difficult to identify clearly the interactions between the
additives and DLC coatings [13-18]. Pin-on-disc sliding
Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 137
 Makoto Kano

Engine test ： Eng.Rev. 1000～13000rpm , 10min.

Severe
scuffing

Low silicon aluminum alloy, A2618 A2618⇒W peening+Polishing+P-CVD, DLC

Cylinder bore： Ni-P plating Cylinder bore：P-CVD DLC

Fig. 4 Superior wear resistance of DLC coated aluminum alloy piston

tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of one simple
modifier on the friction properties of DLC coatings.
Typical DLC coatings selected for evaluation in this way
included hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) and
hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C).
Sliding tests were conducted at high Hertzian pressure of
700 Mpa under oil lubrication at a temperature of 353 K.
The effect of various friction modifier additives on the
friction properties of these DLC coatings was evalauted
when used with a poly-alpha-olefin (PAO) based oil.
Many types of friction modifier additives were examined,
including amine, amide and ester (GMO). It was found
that a ta-C coating/steel pair lubricated with a PAO oil
containing 1 mass% of ester (PAO+GMO) showed an
ultra-low friction coefficient of 0.02, whereas an a-C:H
coating/steel pair displayed a much higher friction
coefficient of 0.09 and that of a steel/steel pair was 0.100,
as shown in Fig. 6 [19,20].
Friction properties of DLC coating pairs lubricated
with PAO+GMO at a temperature of 353 K were also
evaluated in SRV tests to make clear the reason for
ultra-low friction. Figure 7 shows the friction
coefficients obtained for different kinds of material
combinations lubricated with PAO+GMO and pure
glycerin [21]. Amazing results were obtained for the
ta-C/ta-C coating combination. The friction coefficients
of the ta-C pairs were substantially lower than those of
the a-C:H ones. These results strongly suggest that
ultra-low friction was obtained by the interaction
between the ta-C coating and the ester-containing oil;

0.140
0.120
Friction coefficient

0.100 80%
reduction
0.080 Break
Break through
through
0.060
0.040
0.020
0.000

5W-30 5W-30 5W-30 PAO PAO+GMO

PAO+GMO
PAO+GMO
Fig. 5 Frction performance of two commercially Material combinations
available diamond-like carbon(DLC) films
and Argonne’s near frictionless carbon (NFC) Fig. 6 Ultra-low friction property of ta-C under
in dry nitrogen [8] GMO containing oil lubrication [19]

Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/) Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 138
 Diamond-Like Carbon Coating Applied to Automotive Engine Components

0,2
PAO+GMO SRV tribometer
0,18 Glycerol SRV tribometer

0,16

0,14
Friction coefficient

0,12

0,1

0,08

0,06

0,04

0,02
Unmeasurable
0
steel/steel a-C:H/a-C:H ta-C/ta-C

Material combinations Fig. 9 T-shaped filtered arc deposition process [25]

Fig. 7 Super-low friction of self-mated ta-C under gradually to a final level of 0.085. That of the a-C:H pair
glycerol lubrication [21] (a-C:H/a-C:H) decreased from 0.08 to 0.045 for 1200
seconds and then stayed at a stable level. That of the ta-C
pair (ta-C/ta-C) decreased continuously from a high level
this property is attributable to the formation of a very thin, of 0.09 to 0.045. In contrast, that of the ta-C (T) pair
low-shear-strength tribofilm on the ta-C sliding surface (ta-C(T)/ta-C(T)) decreased from a very low level of 0.02
and a better lubrication condition. Moreover, super-low to a super-low friction regime below 0.01 in a very short
friction and zero-wear behaviour was notably obtained time and stayed at a very low level of 0.015 for 1800
for the ta-C/ta-C coating combination lubricated with seconds. The ta-C (T) coated by the T-shaped filtered arc
pure glycerin at 353 K. As shown in Fig. 7, the friction deposition method (Fig. 9) had very smooth surface
coefficient was below 0.01 and was actually not without lots of droplets [25]. The steel pair showed an
measurable with the equipment used. Moreover, the wear ultra-low friction coefficient initially, which was
scar was not visible when viewed under an optical probably due to the tribochemical reaction with oleic
microscope. This result suggests that superlubricity is acid. The friction coefficient then increased gradually
related to an alcohol chemical function (OH), which is above 0.08 due to increasing surface roughness caused
common to both GMO and glycerol molecules. by wear. For the DLC pairs, the ta-C pair showed a much
Further fundamental research on an optimum larger friction coefficient reduction than the a-C:H pair.
material combination of a DLC coating and a simple The higher friction coefficient especially in the initial
lubricant for reducing friction to super-low level was period for the ta-C pair was presumably caused by the
reported [22-24]. The Pin-on-disc reciprocating sliding larger surface roughness due to the presence of many
test under oleic acid lubrication was conducted at droplets compared with that of the ta-C (T) pair.
ambient temperature. Friction curves with greatly Therefore, the effect of the ta-C pair on reducing friction
different shapes were observed for sliding times from 0 was probably comparable to that of the ta-C (T) pair. Of
to 30 minutes as shown in Fig. 8. The friction coefficient course, the mechanism of the super-low friction
of the AISI 52100 steel pair (steel/steel) was at a very properties of these DLC coatings must be made clear
low level of 0.02 for 300 seconds and then increased [26,27], but it will take a long time to obtain definitive
evidence due to the difficulty of conducting surface
analyses. It can be concluded that DLC coatings have an
0 .1 exceptionally high potential to provide super-low friction
0 .0 9
SUJ2/SUJ2 properties in combination with environmentally friendly
0 .0 8
fluids such as oleic acid lubrication.
Coefficient of Friction

0 .0 7
0 .0 6 ta-C/ta-C 3.2. Research for evaluation of adhesion strength and
0 .0 5 wear resistance
0 .0 4
a-C:H/a-C:H
The test method for evaluating the adhesion strength
0 .0 3 and wear resistance of DLC coating is described shortly.
0 .0 2 ta-C(Filter)/ Conventional test methods for evaluating the adhesion
ta-C(Filter)
0 .0 1 strength of DLC coatings include the Rockwell hardness
0
test for measuring material hardness[28,29] and the
0 600 1200 1800
Time , s
scratch test procedure for scratching coatings with a
diamond-tipped indenter[30-32]. These test methods
Fig. 8 Super low friction of self-mated ta-C under push an indenter into the coating or drag it along the
oleic acid lubrication [24] surface while applying downward pressure on the device,

Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/) Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 139
 Makoto Kano
Fig. 10 Critical load of DLC film evaluated by
continuously increasing load sliding test [34]
thereby inducing plastic deformation in the DLC coating
and base material, causing the coating to fracture. The
adhesion strength of the coating is then evaluated from
the damage condition. Specifically, adhesion strength is
evaluated based on the applied load at the time the
friction coefficient rises sharply in the scratch test and by
confirming the damage condition of the coating around
the edge and at the bottom of the indentation produced in
the Rockwell test and the scratch mark produced in the
scratch test [33].
However, the Rockwell test and scratch test, in which
adhesion strength is evaluated on the basis of plastic
deformation, induce damage as a result of the application
of one load. This makes it is difficult to obtain a good
correlation with the adhesion strength evaluation results
for actual parts that undergo any number of repeated
sliding cycles.
The evaluation method of the adhesion strength and
wear resistance of DLC coatings using test procedures
that simulate sliding behavior under actual usage
conditions was proposed [34,35]. The evaluation
methods used in this study apply a continuously
increasing load during repeated rotating sliding cycles.
Then, the critical load which the friction coefficient and
AE (Acoustic Emission) signal increased markedly was
measured as shown in Fig. 10. The friction coefficient
and the AE signal that were simultaneously measured in
the delamination and wear tests for the rotating sliding
test. For this example, the fixed alumina ball was pressed
on the a-C:H coated rotating disc. When the applied load
exceeded 6 kg, it is seen that the friction coefficient and
the AE signal increased. From this result, the critical load
of the delamination and wear was judged as 6 kg.
Evaluations of the adhesion strength and wear resistance
of the three types of DLC coatings revealed that the
results obtained with the conventional Rockwell test and
scratch test procedures differed from the results obtained
with the delamination and wear test procedures applied
in this study. This result suggests that the judgment of
adhesion strength and wear resistance for DLC coating
depend on the test method and how to slide strongly.
Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/)
Therefore, it is required to accomplish the test method
which simulate the adhesion and wear resistance of DLC
coating for actual sliding condition.
Additionally, the wear mode and wear mechanism of
DLC coating is also too complicated to be elucidated. For
the wear of a-C:H coating after the ball on disc sliding
test, it was found that a-C:H coating layer had bending
deformation and fine cracks at the top and bottom of the
film as shown in Fig. 11 [36]. It was observed that the
cracks formed perpendicular through the coating
thickness and the coating film was still intact with the
substrate without delamination despite the crack
formation. Although the stress and strain modelling of
coated systems can increase the understanding of coated
system performance, it is insufficient to accomplish the
evaluation based on the wear mechanism.
The research for this evaluation is too late to establish
the standard test method to use the actual industrial field
although DLC coating has been applied to the mass
produced components as mentioned before. It is required
to address this issue to apply DLC coating technology to
sliding components in various industries.
3.3. Research for rolling fatigue
Finally, the research for the rolling fatigue of DLC
coating which is not established well is described here
briefly. The application of DLC coating for rolling
contact to the actual produced component successfully is
not reported yet.
The improvements of the life for the rolling contact
fatigue by using DLC coating were reported in several
papers [37-39]. The DLC coating improves the life of
the rollers by more than two orders of magnitude
compared with that of non-coated carburized steel, as
Coating Layer
1.26μm
Crack in Coating Layer
Fig. 11 The wear surface of 1.0 micron meter thick
a-C:H coating and close-up picture of the
coating cross Section [36]
Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 140
 Diamond-Like Carbon Coating Applied to Automotive Engine Components
Fig. 12 Relationship between number of cycle and
Hertzian contact pressure [37]
shown in Fig. 12. However, the reason why the longer
life of DLC coated steel which was delaminated partially
during the rolling test was not elucidated substantially.
One possible reason was proposed that the steel surface
below DLC film was strengthened largely by applying
the repeated compressive stress before DLC film was
delaminated [37]. It was validated that this repeated
stress transformed the steel structure into the very fine
grain. It would appear that the formation of this tough
micro structure increased the pitting wear life even if
DLC film was delaminated partially. The DLC coating
technology of improving the fatigue life is expected to
apply to the transmission gears and rolling bearing to
reduce friction and to make compact them and longer life.
However, it is required to accomplish the technology of
the evaluation for DLC rolling fatigue property.
4. DLC coating technology in future
The characteristic of DLC coating has the innovative
performance of reducing friction for the industrial field
and the large possibility for new findings. These are
evaluated as the most important judging points for the
patent and the original technical paper. Therefore, the
research of this technology must be conducted
continuously. Additionally, this technology is expecting
to attribute “Green Tribology” due to the environment
friendly material.
This topic will be reported again about the advanced
technology compared with this article after 10 years. The
technology of DLC coating will be used commonly for
the various industries such as the food, medical, robot,
aerospace by activating the superior tribology property
and the human friendly property.
Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/)
Reference
[1] Kano, M., “Research Trend for Tribology of Hard
Carbon Coatings,” Journal of Japanese Society of
Tribologists, 58, 8, 2013, 524-531. (in Japanese)
[2] Toyoda, S., “All Toyota Tribological Innovation to
Realize “Zeronize” and “Maximize” Society,”
Tribology Online, 2.1, 2007, 19-22.
[3] Hara, S., Koga T. and Katou, S., “Development of
the DLC Film for Front Fork’s Inner Tube,” SAE
Paper 2007-32-0083, 2007.
[4] Treutler, C.P.O., “Industrial Use of
Plasma-Deposited Coatings for Components of
Automotive Fuel Injection Systems,” Surface &
Coatings Technology, 200, 5-6, 2005, 1969-1975.
[5] “Nissan Announces a New 3-Cylinder 1.2L DIG
SuperchargerEngine, ”
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/19
[6] Higuchi, T., Mabuchi, Y., Ichihara, H., Murata T.
and Moronuki, M., “Development of Hydrogen
Free DLC Coating for Piston Ring, ” JSAE
Proceedings, No.154-11, p20115707 (in Japanese).
[7] Horiuchi, T., Kano, M., Yoshida, K., Kumagai, M.
and Suzuki, T., “Method of Applying DLC Coating
on Aluminum Alloys, ” Tribology Online, 5, 3,
2010, 136-143.
[8] Erdemir, A., Ozturk, O., Alzoubi, M., Woodfor, J.,
Ajayi, L. and Fenske, G., “Near-Frictionless
Carbon Coatings for Use in Fuel Injectors and
Pump Systems Operating with Low-Sulfur Diesel
Fuels,” SAE Paper 2000-01-0518, 2000.
[9] Andersson, J., Erck, R. A. and Erdemir, A.,
“Friction of Diamond-Like Carbon Films in
Different Atmospheres,” Wear, 254, 2003,
1070-1075.
[10] Gao, F., Erdemir, A. and Tysoe, W. T., “The
Tribological Properties of Low-Friction
Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Measured in
Ultrahigh Vacuum,” Tribology Letters, 20, 3-4,
December 2005, 221-227.
[11] Erdemir, A. and Donnet, C., “Tribology of
Diamond-Like Carbon Films: Recent Progress and
Future Prospects,” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 39, 2006,
R311-R327.
[12] Eryilmaz, O. L. and Erdemir, A., “TOF-SIMS and
XPS Characterization of Diamond-Like Carbon
Films After in Inert and Oxidizing Environments,”
Wear, 265, 1-2, 2008, 244-254.
[13] Neville, A., Morina, A., Haque, T. and Voong, M.,
“Compatibility between Tribological Surfaces and
Lubricant Additives--How Friction and Wear
Reduction can be Controlled by Surface/lube
Synergies,” Tribology International 40, 10-12,
2007, 1680-1695.
[14] Kalin, M., Roman, E. and Vizintin, J., “The Effect
of Temperature on the Tribological Mechanisms
and Reactivity of Hydrogenated, Amorphous
Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings under
Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 141
 Makoto Kano
Oil-Lubricated Conditions,” Thin Solid Films 515,
7-8, 2007, 3644-3652.
[15] Miklozic, K. T., Lockwood, F. and Spikes, H.,
“Behaviour of Boundary Lubricating Additives on
DLC Coatings,” Wear, 265, 11-12, 2008,
1893-1901.
[16] Equey, S., Roos, S., Mueller, U. Hauert, R.,
Spencer, N. D. and Crockett, R., “Tribofilm
Formation from ZnDTP on Diamond-Like Carbon,”
Wear, 264, 3-4, 2008, 316-321.
[17] Haque, T., Morina, A. and Neville, A., “Influence
of Friction Modifier and Antiwear Additives on the
Tribological Performance of a Non-Hydrogenated
DLC Coating,” Surface & Coatings Technology,
204, 24, 2010, 4001-4011.
[18] Vengudusamy, B., Green, J. H., Lamb, G. D. and
Spikes, H. A., “Tribological Properties of
Tribofilms Formed from ZDDP in DLC/DLC and
DLC/Steel Contacts,” Tribology International, 44,
2, 2011, 165-174.
[19] Kano, M., Yasuda, Y., Mabuchi, Y., Ye, J. and
Konishi, S., “Ultra-Low Friction Properties of DLC
Lubricated with Ester-Containing
Oil-Part1:Pin-on-Disc & SRV Friction Tests,”
Transient Processes in Tribology, Tribology Series,
43, 2003, 689-692.
[20] Kano, M., Yasuda, Y., Okamoto, Y., Mabuchi, Y.,
Hamada, T., Ueno, T., Ye, J., Konishi, S.,
Takeshima, S., Martin, J. M., De Barros Bouchet,
M. I. and Le Mogne, T., “Ultralow Friction of DLC
in Presence of Glycerol Mono-Oleate (GMO),”
Tribology Letters, 18, 2, 2005, 245-251.
[21] Kano, M., “DLC Coating Technology Applied to
Sliding Parts of Automotive Engine,” New
Diamond and Frontier Carbon Technology, 16, 4,
2006, 201.
[22] Yoshida, K., Horiuchi, T., Kano, M. and Kumagai,
M., “Effect of Organic Acid on Friction and Wear
Properties of DLC Coating,” Tribology Online, 3, 3,
2008, 200-204.
[23] Yoshida, K., Horiuchi, T., Kano, M. and Kumagai,
M., “Effect of a Tribochemical Reacted Film on
Friction and Wear Properties of DLC Coatingfs,”
Plasma Process. Polym. 2009, 6, S96-S101.
[24] Kano, M. and Yoshida, K., “Ultra Low Friction of
DLC Coating with Lubricant,” Journal of Physics;
Conference Series, 258, 2010, 012009.
[25] Takikawa, H., Izumi, K., Miyano, R. and
Sakakibara, T., “DLC Thin Film Preparation by
Cathodic Arc Deposition with a Super
Droplet-Free System,” Surface and Coatings
Technology, 163-164, 2003, 368-373.
[26] Matta, C., Joly-Pottuz, L., De Barros Bouchet, M.
I., Martin, J. M., Kano, M., Zhang, Q. and Goddard
III, W. A., “Superlubricity and Tribochemistry of
Polyhydric Alcohols,” Physical Review B 78,
085436, 2008.
Japanese Society of Tribologists (http://www.tribology.jp/)
[27] Kano, M., Yoshida, K., Martin, J. M. and Bouchet,
M. I. D. B., “Super Low Friction of DLC Coating
with Selected Lubricants,” Proceedings of World
Tribology Congress 2013, Torino, Italy, September
8-13, 2013.
[28] DIN CEN/TS 1071-8, “Advanced Technical
Ceramics – Methods of Test for Ceramic Coatings
– Part 8: Rockwell Indentation Test for Evaluation
of Adhesion,” 2004, 12.
[29] Ikeda, R., Hayashi, M., Yonezu, A., Ogawa, T. and
Takemoto, M., “Fracture Observation of
Polycrystalline Diamond Film under Indentation
Test,” Diam. Relat Mater, 13, 11-12, 2004,
2024-2030.
[30] Jennet, N., Jacobs, R. and Meneve, J., “Advances
in Adhesion Measurement Good Practice: Use of a
Certified Reference Material for Evaluating the
Performance of Scratch Test Instrumentation,”
MST Conf. Adhesion Aspects of Thin Films, 15-16,
2003, 20.
[31] prEN1071-3, “Advanced Technical Ceramics –
Methods of Tests for Ceramic Coatings – Part 3:
Detemination of Adhesion and Other Mechanical
Failure Modes by Scratch Test,” 1999, 42.
[32] Sergici, A. O. and Randall, N. X., “Scratch Testing
of Coatings,” Adv. Mater Process, 64, 2006, 41-43.
[33] Laugier, M., “The Development of The Scratch
Test Technique for The Determination of the
Adhesion of Coating,” Thin Solid Films, 76, 3,
1981, 289-294.
[34] Horiuchi, T., Yoshida, K., Kano, M., Kumagai, M.
and Suzuki, T., “Evaluation of Adhesion and Wear
Resistance of DLC Films Deposited by Various
Methods,” Plasma Process, Polym., 6, 6-7, 2009,
410-416.
[35] Horiuchi, T., Yoshida, K., Kano, M., Kumagai, M.
and Suzuki, T., “Evaluation of DLC Coating
Damage in the Delamination and Wear Test,”
Tribology Online, 5, 3, 2010, 129.
[36] Ronkainen, H., Holmberg, K., Laukknanen, A.,
Andersson, T., Kano, M., Horiuchi, T. and Suzuki,
T., “The Effect of Coating Properties on the
Peformance of a-C:H and ta-C Films,” Tribologia,
31, 3-4, 2012, 3-10.
[37] Kumagai, M., Takagi, S., Yakabe, F., Jinbo, Y. and
Hasegawa, Y., “Improvement of Rolling Contact
Fatigue by DLC Coating,” Journal of The Surface
Finishing Society of Japan, 57, 6, 2006, 428-433
(in Japanese).
[38] Podgornik, B. and Vizintin, J., “Rolling Contact
Properties of ta-C Coated Low Alloy Steel,”
Surface and Coating Technology, 157, 2-3, 2002,
257-261.
[39] Klaffke, D. Santner, E., Spaltmann, D. and Woydt,
M., “Influences on the Tribological Behaviour of
Slip-Rolling DLC-Coatings,” Wear, 259, 1-6, 2005,
752-758.
Tribology Online, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2014) / 142