JP2010111935A - Rocker arm assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rocker arm assembly which improves adhesion between a DLC film and a substrate, prevents the DLC film from undesirably peeling off from the substrate, improves wear resistance, prevents surface damage at the initial state of the start in the driving of an engine or the like, prevents seizure and also excels subsequent lubricating conditions, and secures a sufficient durability. <P>SOLUTION: The rocker arm assembly is obtained by applying a DLC film 12 to an axial substrate 8. The DLC film 12 includes: a surface layer as the outermost layer composed of amorphous hydrocarbon including sp2- and sp3-hybrid carbon; a substrate layer lying at the inside the surface layer, also facing the axial substrate 8 and at least containing chromium; and a chromium-tungsten carbide layer held between the surface layer and the substrate layer and containing chromium and tungsten carbide, and has an inclined structure where the content of tungsten carbide in the chromium-tungsten carbide layer increases from the substrate layer side toward the surface layer side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rocker arm assembly applied to, for example, a valve operating mechanism for driving an intake / exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine such as a vehicle.

Due to incomplete combustion of the engine in vehicles such as automobiles, abbreviated “PM” such as combustion intermediate products of many fuels including soot (hard carbon particles: carbon), which is a hard foreign matter, is generated. Is mixed. Diesel engines and gasoline engines that burn directly by injecting fuel into cylinders or cylinders, so-called direct injection gasoline engines, generate a large amount of hard foreign matter, and this hard foreign matter causes the support shaft for the rolling type rocker arm assembly. In this case, significant wear occurs.
As a conventional technique for improving the wear resistance of the support shaft and the like, in the rolling type rocker arm in which the shaft end of the support shaft is fixed by caulking, the outer surface of the track portion of the intermediate portion of the shaft is hardened by quenching. A configuration is disclosed in which a hardened wear-resistant hard film (DLC film) is formed on the outer surface of the hardened and hardened track part (Patent Document 1).
As another prior art, for the purpose of wear-resistant coating on the surface of an engine component, “having at least one metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon layer containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon on the surface of a machine or engine component” "Amorphous hydrocarbon layer has a maximum hydrogen content of 16 atomic%" (Patent Document 2).
JP 2006-144848 A US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0046060 ([0047] lines 8-17)

  In the rocker arm of the prior art, when a hard coating such as diamond-like carbon or abbreviated DLC is applied to the support shaft, the peeled hard coating acts as a hard foreign substance, so that wear may be accelerated. In the case of a rolling type rocker arm, the load area on the shaft is the same location, so wear is more conspicuous than the roller or outer ring. In order to improve the wear resistance of the DLC, the present applicant pays attention not only to the wear resistance of the DLC film, but also to the peel resistance which is brittle and easily chipped, and improves the adhesion between the DLC film and the substrate. The task was to plan.

In addition to the above problems, there are the following problems as specific problems of the rocker arm.
(1) Immediately after the start of engine operation or when the engine is suddenly accelerated or decelerated, there is a case where the supply of engine oil cannot catch up, and wear occurs on one or both of the rolling surface of the needle and the shaft. Such wear occurs because a sufficient oil film cannot be formed at the contact portion between these needles and the peripheral surface of the shaft. Even when the surface damage is minor, minute protrusions are formed on the rolling surface of the needle and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft. Due to this protrusion, even after the engine oil is supplied, the lubrication state of the sliding portions between these peripheral surfaces is less likely to be complete fluid lubrication. As a result, when the oil film formation cannot follow the rapid speed fluctuation at the time of rapid acceleration / deceleration of the engine, significant surface damage may occur locally.

(2) Since the rocker arm bearing is a full-roller type bearing without a cage, in particular, the rollers interfere with each other, the roller position is not controlled smoothly, and roller skew is likely to occur. In addition, the lubricating oil is not smoothly supplied into the bearing, resulting in poor lubrication conditions. As a result, sliding heat generation, local surface pressure increase, or insufficient lubrication occurs. For this reason, although it has a large load capacity in calculation, and the life is sufficient for the required life, surface damage (peeling, smearing, surface-origin separation) or internal origin will occur after a short period of use. Mold peeling occurs.

  The object of the present invention is to improve the adhesion between the DLC film and the base material, to prevent the DLC film from being undesirably peeled off from the base material, to improve the wear resistance, the initial state of engine operation, etc. It is intended to provide a rocker arm assembly that not only prevents surface damage and prevents seizure, but also improves the subsequent lubrication and ensures sufficient durability.

  The rocker arm assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a shaft having at least an axially intermediate portion hardened by heat treatment, an outer ring positioned on the outer periphery of the shaft, and a rolling element that rolls between the outer ring and the shaft. And a rocker arm assembly having a rocker arm body to which the shaft is fixed. A DLC coating is applied to the shaft, and the DLC coating is formed of an outermost surface layer having amorphous hydrocarbons containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon. An underlayer containing at least chromium inside the surface layer and facing the shaft base material, and a chromium-tungsten carbide layer interposed between the surface layer and the underlayer and containing chromium and tungsten carbide, And a gradient structure in which the content of tungsten carbide in the chromium-tungsten carbide layer increases from the base layer side toward the surface layer side. And features.

  According to this configuration, the DLC film applied to the shaft has the outermost surface layer, the underlayer, and the chromium-tungsten carbide layer interposed between the surface layer and the underlayer. In particular, the chromium-tungsten carbide layer has a gradient structure in which the content of tungsten carbide increases from the base layer side to the surface layer side. Excellent adhesion to the material. The surface layer can be formed by continuing sputtering of tungsten carbide (WC) or the like as it is, and the adhesion between the surface layer and the WC layer becomes excellent. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the DLC film from being undesirably peeled from the base material, to improve the wear resistance, to prevent surface damage in the initial operation start state of the engine, and to prevent seizure. It is possible to improve the subsequent lubrication state and ensure sufficient durability.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the rocker arm assembly according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a shaft having at least an axially intermediate portion hardened by heat treatment, an outer ring that is in sliding contact with an outer diameter surface of the shaft, and a rocker arm body that fixes the shaft. In the rocker arm assembly, a DLC film is applied to the shaft, and the DLC film has the same configuration as that of the first invention.
Also in the rocker arm assembly of the second invention, in the DLC film applied to the shaft, the content of tungsten carbide in the chromium-tungsten carbide layer is an inclined structure that increases from the base layer side toward the surface layer side. The composition of the layer changes gradually and continuously, and the adhesion between the surface layer and the shaft base material becomes excellent. It is possible to prevent the DLC film from being undesirably peeled from the base material, to improve wear resistance, to prevent surface damage in the initial operation start state of the engine, and to prevent seizure. It is possible to improve the subsequent lubrication state and ensure sufficient durability.

  When the chromium-tungsten carbide layer is formed by sputtering, the Cr-WC layer can be easily formed by adjusting the output of the applied voltage of the target made of Cr and the output of the applied voltage of the target made of WC. It becomes possible to form. By adjusting the output of such applied voltage, a gradient structure of the content of tungsten carbide in the Cr-WC layer can be easily and reliably produced.

  In the surface layer of the DLC film, the hydrogen content in the region from the surface to 0.3 μm is 10 atomic% or more and 30 atomic% or less, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in adhesion between the DLC film and the substrate, It is possible to prevent the bondability between the film materials from being lowered. When the hydrogen content is less than 10 atomic%, the adhesion between the DLC film and the substrate is lowered. When the hydrogen content exceeds 30 atomic%, the bondability between the film materials is lowered, the film is easily peeled off, and the wear resistance is lowered.

  The chromium-tungsten carbide layer may have a total content of chromium and tungsten of 5 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less. When the total content of chromium and tungsten is less than 5 atomic%, the adhesion between the DLC film and the substrate is lowered. When the total content exceeds 50 atomic%, for example, more than half of the DLC film made of amorphous hydrocarbon becomes metal, the hardness decreases and the wear resistance decreases.

1st invention WHEREIN: The axial direction intermediate part of the said axis | shaft may be more than the rolling surface width of a rolling element. In this case, the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the shaft base material is cured by heat treatment, and then the DLC film is applied. Therefore, the rolling surface can be maintained at a necessary and sufficient wear resistance, and the DLC film can be prevented from being broken or peeled off.
2nd invention WHEREIN: The axial direction intermediate part of the said axis | shaft may be more than an outer ring | wheel width.

  The base material hardness in the axial direction intermediate portion of the shaft may be HRC 58 or more at a depth of 50 μm or more from the surface of the base material. When the DLC film is applied to the surface of the base material, if the optimal DLC film is not applied, the peeled DLC film acts as a hard foreign substance, so that wear may occur from the surface of the base material to a depth of 50 μm or more. When the base material hardness of the axial middle part of the shaft is HRC 58 or more at a depth of 50 μm or more from the surface of the base material, the wear resistance of the shaft can be enhanced.

  The rocker arm assembly may be used for a diesel engine or a direct injection gasoline engine. These engines generate more hard foreign matter than ordinary gasoline engines, and the hard foreign matter may cause significant wear on the shaft of the rocker arm assembly. By using the rocker arm assembly of the present invention in an engine with a large amount of hard foreign matter generated, the wear resistance can be particularly improved.

  A rocker arm assembly according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a shaft having at least an axially intermediate portion hardened by heat treatment, an outer ring positioned on an outer periphery of the shaft, a rolling element that rolls between the outer ring and the shaft, and the shaft A rocker arm assembly having a rocker arm body fixed thereto, a DLC coating is applied to the shaft, and the DLC coating is formed of an outermost surface layer having amorphous hydrocarbons containing sp2- and sp3-cross carbon, and the surface layer. A base layer containing at least chromium and facing the shaft base material, and a chromium-tungsten carbide layer including chromium and tungsten carbide interposed between the surface layer and the base layer, Since the chromium carbide-tungsten carbide layer has a gradient structure in which the content of tungsten carbide increases from the base layer side toward the surface layer side, the DLC film and the base Improved adhesion to the material, prevents the DLC film from undesirably peeling from the base material, improves wear resistance, prevents surface damage in the initial state of engine operation, etc. Not only can this be prevented, but the subsequent lubrication state can be improved to ensure sufficient durability.

  A rocker arm assembly according to a second aspect of the invention is a rocker arm assembly comprising a shaft having at least an axially intermediate portion hardened by heat treatment, an outer ring that is in sliding contact with an outer diameter surface of the shaft, and a rocker arm body that fixes the shaft. Since the DLC film is applied to the shaft and the DLC film has the same configuration as that of the first invention, the adhesion between the DLC film and the substrate is improved, and the DLC film is undesirably peeled from the substrate. In addition to preventing surface seizure by preventing surface damage in the initial state of engine operation, etc. and improving seizure resistance, the subsequent lubrication state is improved and sufficient durability is achieved. Can be secured.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The rocker arm assembly according to this embodiment is applied to, for example, a valve operating mechanism that drives intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine such as a vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 1, the rocker arm assembly includes a rocker arm main body 1 and a bearing 5. Among these, the rocker arm main body 1 is mounted on the internal combustion engine or the like and is provided so as to be swingable around a predetermined swing axis L1. At one end of the rocker arm main body 1, a bearing 5 serving as a roller follower that is in rolling contact with the cam 4 is provided, and at the other end of the rocker arm main body 1, an action portion 3 for operating a valve of the internal combustion engine is provided.

  The rocker arm body 1 is formed by forging or casting, for example, carbon steel or aluminum alloy. However, the rocker arm main body 1 is not limited to the carbon steel, aluminum alloy, forging, and casting, and may be made of sheet metal pressed from a plate material such as a single steel plate. As shown in FIG. 2, the rocker arm body 1 has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape having a pair of opposed side walls 6, 6 and a connecting plate wall (not shown) that connects one edge of the opposed side walls 6, 6. ing. As shown in FIG. 1, the opposing side walls 6 and 6 on both sides have a swing fulcrum hole 6b, and the swing fulcrum shaft 7 is fitted into the swing fulcrum hole 6b. The axis of the swing fulcrum shaft 7 is the swing center L1.

The bearing 5 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bearing 5 rolls between a shaft 8M fixed to the rocker arm body 1, an outer ring 9 positioned on the outer periphery of the shaft 8M, and the outer ring 9 and the shaft 8M. A plurality of rolling elements 10. A roller is applied as the rolling element 10. Insertion holes 6a, 6a are formed in opposite side walls 6, 6 on both sides of the rocker arm body 1, and both ends of the shaft 8M are fitted and fixed to these insertion holes 6a, 6a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the insertion holes 6a, 6a on both sides of the rocker arm body 1 have countersink portions 11 at the opening edges on the outer surface side. The counterbore part 11 is made into a taper shape, for example. For example, the DLC film 12 described later is applied to the shaft base material. The axis on which the DLC film 12 is applied is referred to as “axis 8M”. The shaft on which the DLC film 12 is not applied is referred to as “shaft substrate 8” or “substrate”.
As a material of the shaft base 8, SUJ2 material, SKD material (among them, SKD11 material), SUS440C material, SCM material or American Iron and Steel Standard (American Iron and Steel) specified in Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). M50 material etc. prescribed | regulated by Institute; abbreviation AISI) are used. However, it is not necessarily limited to these steel materials.

  The shaft 8M is inserted into the insertion hole 6a, and both end portions 8a, 8a of the shaft 8M are caulked and fixed to the rocker arm body 1. That is, the shaft end portions 8a and 8a of the shaft 8M are caulked. In this case, a circumferential groove 8aa having a diameter Dm slightly smaller than the outer diameter Dj of the shaft 8M is formed in the shaft end portion 8a by using a jig or tool (not shown) while the shaft 8M is inserted into the insertion hole 6a. To do. The circumferential groove 8aa is formed in the vicinity of the outer diameter of the shaft end portion 8a that is substantially the same axis as the shaft 8M. The circumferential groove 8aa may be an annular groove. The circumferential groove 8aa may not be formed substantially on the same axis as the shaft 8M.

  As the circumferential grooves 8aa are formed by the jigs and tools, plastic working portions 8ab projecting a predetermined small distance outward in the radial direction are provided near both ends of the outer diameter surface of the shaft 8M. The portion 8ab is engaged with the counterbore portion 11, and the shaft end portions 8a and 8a are caulked. As described above, the shaft end portions 8a and 8a are caulked to prevent the shaft 8M from being detached from the rocker arm main body 1. The plastic working portion 8ab of the shaft 8M is, for example, an annular protrusion extending over the entire circumference or substantially the entire circumference.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of rolling elements 10 are incorporated in the annular space between the shaft 8 </ b> M and the outer ring 9 without using a cage as a full-roller type. The rolling elements 10 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are brought close to each other with a clearance allowing rolling, that is, a circumferential clearance δ1. Although the bearing 5 according to the present embodiment is a full-roller type, it is also possible to provide a cage in an annular space between the shaft 8M and the outer ring 9 and to hold a plurality of rolling elements 10 in this cage. is there.
The outer ring 9 is made of the same steel material as the shaft base 8. For example, the outer ring 9, the shaft base 8, and the rolling element 10 may be made of the same material. Further, if necessary, a part of the bearing component may be made of a material different from other components.

The heat treatment will be described.
In the present embodiment, the DLC film 12 is formed only on the shaft base material 8, but as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the DLC film 12 is formed on the outer race 9 or the rolling surfaces 9 a and 10 a of the rolling elements. May be formed. What is necessary is just to form the DLC film 12 in at least any one rolling surface of the shaft base material 8, the outer ring | wheel 9, and the rolling element 10. FIG.

The hardness of the rolling surface part in the base material of the shaft 8M is set to HRC58 or more. The hardness of the rolling surface portion of the base material of this shaft 8M requires a hardness of HRC58 or more for the purpose of sufficiently securing the rolling fatigue life.
The hardened layer depth that requires a hardness of HRC58 or higher is sufficient if the contact surface pressure during use of the bearing is 2000 MPa or lower. However, when the DLC film 12 is applied to the shaft base material 8, if the optimal film shown in the present invention is not applied, the peeled DLC film acts as a hard foreign substance, and thus wear occurs to a depth of 50 μm or more. There are many cases.

  As a method for confirming the surface hardness of a substrate not coated with a DLC film, the surface is usually directly measured for hardness using a Rockwell hardness meter, a Vickers hardness meter, or the like. However, when the DLC film 12 is applied to the surface of the shaft base 8, the above measurement method cannot be used. As an alternative measurement method, for example, the cross-sectional hardness of the shaft 8M may be measured, and the value in the vicinity of the interface between the DLC film 12 and the shaft base 8 (the shaft base 8 side) may be used as the surface hardness of the shaft base 8. .

Although the kind of the hardening method of a base material is shown below, the merit in the case of hardening the surface layer of a base material and not only the surface layer of a base material but the inside is shown here.
In the case of curing the surface layer of the base material When the contact surface pressure is 2000 MPa or less, the hardened layer depth (HRC 58 depth) that requires a hardness of HRC58 or higher is 50 μm, which is the depth at which wear occurs. However, when the DLC coating is applied to the substrate surface, the peeled DLC coating acts as a hard foreign substance unless the optimal coating shown in the present invention is applied, and thus wear may occur up to a depth of 50 μm or more. There are many.
In the case of curing the surface layer of this base material, induction hardening, subzero treatment after quenching, and low-temperature nitriding treatment can be employed as a method for hardening the base material. As the low-temperature nitriding treatment, for example, ion nitriding at 550 ° C. or lower, gas nitriding, salt bath nitriding, or the like can be applied.

  Further, the depth of the hardened layer (HRC 58 depth) that can generate a compressive stress that is considered to have a positive effect on the life is at most 1/3 of the diameter of the shaft base 8 in the case of the wall thickness of the shaft base shaft. There is a track record. From this result, for example, in the case of a solid shaft as shown in FIG. 4, the surface quenching depth (HRC 58 depth) in the shaft base 8 of the rolling bearing having a diameter of 8 mm to 10 mm is 3.3 mm or less. Is desirable. In the case of a hollow shaft, the value obtained by subtracting the inner diameter from the outer diameter of this hollow shaft is divided by “2”, and further divided by “3”, that is, the surface quenching depth, ie, [outer diameter−inner diameter] / 2. A surface quenching depth of 1/3 is desirable.

・ When curing to the inside of the substrate Compared with surface quenching, it is necessary to strictly control the heat treatment conditions when applying induction hardening that has a hardness of HRC58 or higher up to the radial center (inside) of the shaft 8M. There is no merit. That is, in this process, since it is not necessary to control the processing time in a short time, it is possible to perform heating for a relatively long time, thereby eliminating the need to strictly control the heat treatment conditions. Therefore, man-hours can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the bearing can be reduced.
As a method for curing the base material in the case of curing to the inside of the base material, a general whole quenching process, induction hardening for curing not only the surface but also the inside, and a sub-zero process after quenching can be employed.

In the present embodiment, as described above, when the shaft 8M is fixed to the rocker arm body 1, the shaft end portions 8a and 8a are fixed by caulking. In this case, the hardness of the shaft end portions 8a and 8a at both ends of the shaft 8M is set to HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less. Further preferably, the range satisfying the hardness of the shaft end portion 8a is a range extending from the shaft end surface to a position of 1 mm or more inward in the axial direction. In other words, a range that is equal to or less than HRC35 is secured at least 1 mm inward in the axial direction from the shaft end surface.
Thus, the shaft 8M and the rocker arm main body 1 can be securely fixed by setting the hardness of the shaft end 8a to HRC35 or less and caulking the shaft 8M. Of course, in the case of the rolling type rocker arm assembly as in the present embodiment, when the shaft 8M and the rocker arm body 1 are fixed, the outer ring 9, the rolling element 10 and the shaft 8M are set at predetermined positions on the rocker arm body 1. Then, the shaft ends 8a and 8a on both sides are caulked to fix the shaft 8M and the rocker arm main body 1. In the case of a sliding type rocker arm assembly, there is no rolling element 10.

  As a method of making the shaft end portions 8a, 8a on both sides HRC35 or less, the shaft 8M is subjected to high-frequency surface quenching excluding the shaft end portions 8a, 8a on both sides, or high frequency excluding the shaft end portions 8a, 8a on both sides. Induction hardening that hardens not only the surface but also the inside, low-temperature nitriding treatment that masks the shaft end portions 8a and 8a on both sides, shaft end portions 8a on both sides of the shaft of a general overall hardened product, For example, a method of annealing 8a by high-frequency heat treatment can be employed. As the low-temperature nitriding treatment, for example, ion nitriding at 550 ° C. or lower, gas nitriding, salt bath nitriding, or the like can be applied.

When the shaft end portions 8a and 8a of the rocker arm assembly are not fixed by caulking, the hardness of the shaft end portions 8a and 8a does not need to be equal to or lower than HRC35, so that a general overall quenching process can also be employed. In that case, the following structure can be applied.
A structure (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface near the shaft end of the shaft 8M, a retaining ring is disposed in the groove, and the shaft 8M and the rocker arm body 1 are fixed. A structure in which a pin is inserted and the shaft 8M and the rocker arm body 1 are fixed. Instead of caulking the shaft end portion 8a, a structure in which the rocker arm body 1 is crimped to fix the shaft 8M and the rocker arm body 1; Press-fit structure etc.

The DLC film 12 will be described.
By applying a diamond-like carbon coating or abbreviated DLC coating to the rolling surface of the substrate, it is possible to reduce wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matter. As shown in FIG. 6A, the DLC film 12 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a multi-layer structure including an outermost surface layer 27, a mixed layer 26, and an underlayer 25. For example, the DLC film 12 is formed by a chemical vapor deposition method such as a plasma CVD method, a laser ablation method, a sputtering method, an ion beam deposition method, an ion plating method, or the like at a substrate temperature of 300 ° C. or less, preferably at room temperature. It is formed by the phase growth method. The DLC film 12 is not generated unless the high energy particles are rapidly cooled on the substrate, and the film quality of the DLC is improved as the temperature is lowered.
DLC is composed of carbon and hydrogen, and the surface layer 27 of the DLC coating 12 includes carbon and hydrogen composed of various molar ratios, and also includes at least one of silicon, nitrogen, oxygen, and the like. It may be. The surface layer 27 of the DLC film 12 is an amorphous structure in which sp3 bonds having a diamond structure and sp2 bonds having a graphite structure are mixed. The sp3 bond imparts hardness and the sp2 bond is slidable ( Lubricity). Therefore, the properties of the DLC film 12 change depending on the mixing ratio of sp2 bonds and sp3 bonds. Therefore, the DLC film 12 can adjust the hardness of the film surface by adjusting the mixing ratio of these sp2 bonds and sp3 bonds.

  When the DLC film 12 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft base material 8 by a sputtering method, for example, a sputtering apparatus schematically shown in FIG. 5 is used. This sputtering apparatus includes a target 20 made of Cr, a target 21 made of WC, a base material support member 22, a gas supply pipe (not shown), a vacuum pump, and a heating unit. Among these, the targets 20 and 21, the base material support member 22, and the tip of the gas supply pipe are accommodated in the chamber 23. The front surface of the target 20 made of Cr and the front surface of the target 21 made of WC are arranged so as to face each other with a predetermined interval, and a magnet 24 is arranged on the back surface of the target 21 made of WC. The targets 20 and 21 and the substrate support member 22 are electrically connected. The gas supply pipe is configured to be able to supply argon gas as an inert gas and acetylene gas as a reactive gas toward the targets 20 and 21. On the surface portion of the base material support member 22, for example, a plurality of shaft base materials 8 are arranged upright in a columnar shape. Further, masking is applied to one end and the other end of each shaft base material 8. In this example, a plurality of shaft base materials 8 are sputtered, but only one shaft base material 8 may be sputtered. As yet another example, for example, the base material support member 22 may be configured to be able to support one end and the other end of the shaft base material 8 and to be rotatable about the axis of the shaft base material 8.

  This sputtering apparatus includes a magnetron sputtering film forming apparatus to which a target 20 made of Cr is attached and a magnetron sputtering film forming apparatus to which a target 21 made of WC is attached. The sputtering apparatus adjusts the output balance of the voltage applied to these film forming apparatuses, so that only the target 20 made of Cr, the target 21 made of WC, and at least one of the targets 20 and 21 including both are sputtered. Can be processed.

A method for forming the DLC film 12 using the sputtering apparatus will be described.
In order to form the DLC film 12 with good adhesion on the shaft substrate 8, it is preferable to first clean the shaft surface. Specifically, as a preparatory stage, the shaft base 8 having a cleaned surface is installed in the chamber 23, the inside of the chamber 23 is evacuated to about 2 × 10 ⁻³ Pa by a vacuum pump, and then the shaft is heated by heating means. The base material 8 is heated to a temperature of 150 ° C to 200 ° C. Thereafter, a bias current of about −200 V to −500 V is applied to the shaft to generate inert gas ions in an inert gas atmosphere at a pressure of 1 Pa, collide with the shaft base material 8 and clean the shaft surface.

After the shaft surface is cleaned, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft base material 8 is sputtered. In the first process, the output balance of the applied voltage and the time for supplying power to the target 20 are appropriately adjusted, and only the target 20 made of Cr is sputtered. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), the base layer 25 containing chromium is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft base 8.
While continuing the chromium sputtering process, the sputtering process using tungsten and carbon, that is, WC as a target is started. In this sputtering process, the output of the applied voltage of the target 20 made of Cr is gradually weakened, and the output of the applied voltage of the target 21 made of WC is gradually increased. As a result, a Cr—WC layer containing chromium, carbon, and tungsten is formed on the base layer 25. The Cr—WC layer is referred to as “mixed layer”. Since the sputtering efficiency of WC was gradually increased while the sputtering efficiency of chromium was gradually decreased, the ratio of WC in the mixed layer 26 gradually increased from the base layer 25 side toward the surface layer 27 side. It was. In other words, since the sputtering efficiency of WC is gradually increased while the sputtering efficiency of chromium is gradually decreased, the ratio of chromium in the mixed layer 26 is from the base layer 25 side toward the surface layer 27 side. It gradually decreased.
In the Cr—WC layer, the ratio of WC (or Cr) from the base layer 25 side to the surface layer 27 side is carried out using glow discharge emission spectroscopy (abbreviated as GDS: Glow Discharge Spectroscopy). In the glow discharge emission spectroscopy, as shown in FIG. 6B, elemental composition analysis is performed by spectroscopically analyzing light emitted by causing abnormal glow discharge. Here, glow discharge is a discharge mechanism in which gas components are excited by collision of electrons and gas to emit light when a high voltage is applied to two electrode tubes in a vacuum with a gas pressure of about 10 to 0.01 Torr. Say. A typical current-voltage characteristic of the parallel plate electrode discharge is shown in FIG. 6B is a normal glow discharge region, and sputtering hardly occurs, and only the emission spectrum of the discharge gas is observed. When the point F in FIG. 6B is passed, the entire surface of the cathode becomes the cathode point, so that an increase in the discharge current is accompanied by an increase in the current density at the cathode, resulting in an increase in the discharge voltage. 6B is called an abnormal glow discharge region. In this region, the cathode surface is sputtered by ionized gas components, and the spectrum of the cathode material is observed in the discharge light. . Glow discharge emission spectroscopy is a method in which elemental composition analysis is performed by analyzing light emitted by causing abnormal glow discharge using an analysis material as a cathode by utilizing this.

  In the subsequent process, the chromium sputtering process is terminated, and only the WC sputtering process is performed, and a surface layer 27 made of amorphous hydrocarbon is formed on the mixed layer 26 while introducing methane gas from the gas supply pipe into the chamber 23. did. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6A, the shaft base 8 is amorphous on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft substrate 8 via the underlying layer 25 containing chromium and the Cr—WC layer 26 containing chromium, carbon, and tungsten. A surface layer 27 made of hydrocarbon is laminated. After the DLC film 12 reaches a predetermined film thickness, the power supply to the sputtering source is stopped, and the shaft 8M is rapidly cooled and removed from the chamber 23. At this time, it is possible to obtain a hydrogen content in which the DLC film 12 contains a predetermined amount of hydrogen by introducing the hydrocarbon gas or hydrogen gas and forming the surface layer 27 in an atmosphere containing hydrogen. Become.

Next, the wear test and the result of this bearing will be described.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the test machine for the wear test. In order to simulate the wear under lubrication mixed with soot (hard carbon particles: carbon), which is a hard foreign material, a wear test was performed using the test conditions shown in Table 1 below and the testing machine shown in FIG.
By the way, if the soot (hard carbon particles: carbon) is contained in an amount of 2 mass% or more in the engine oil, significant wear occurs in the bearing. As the percentage of wrinkles increases, the amount of wear increases. In this test, engine oil containing 16 mass% carbon black in the engine oil is evaluated, and the effectiveness of the present invention is ensured. The amount of soot is measured by the Light Extension Measurement method, abbreviated as LEM method, developed by Analyst. This LEM method measures the amount of soot in oil from the light extinction rate (attenuation rate) when light is projected onto oil containing soot, utilizing the property that soot absorbs light.
As an evaluation engine oil, the following oil is simply adopted instead of an oil containing carbon black. That is, as an evaluation engine oil, a carbon black powder is contained in a CD grade 10W-30 diesel engine oil, and then the oil is rotated at a high temperature and a high speed to disperse the oil so that the carbon black powder does not settle in the lubricating oil. And In Table 1, P in “P / C” indicates a load, and C indicates a basic dynamic load rating of the bearing. That is, P / C indicates the ratio of the load to the basic dynamic load rating of the bearing.

  In the test machine 13, a drive shaft 15 is rotatably supported in a test housing via a plurality of bearings 14, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft 15 is connected to a drive source (not shown). The drive shaft 15 is a so-called stepped shaft and includes a large-diameter portion 15 a that contacts the outer ring outer diameter surface 9 b of the test bearing 5. The testing machine 13 includes a load loading member 16 that applies a radial load to the shaft 8M of the test bearing 5. In the test housing, the test bearing 5 is lubricated by an oil bath, and the oil level L2 is filled up to the center of rotation of the test bearing. Furthermore, cartridge heaters 17 capable of controlling the oil temperature are provided on both sides in the test housing.

  The bearing 5 to be used for the test is a rolling bearing having a higher degree of wear and a larger amount of wear than a plain bearing. Only the shaft base 8 is listed in the “DLC coating type” column in Tables 2, 3 and 4. Each surface treatment shown below was performed. In this test, the DLC film 12 on the shaft surface is carried out by changing parameters (described later). In this test, only the shaft base material 8 is provided with the DLC film 12. The reason for this test is that the outer ring rotation is performed under the condition that the roller follower is used. Therefore, since the load area in the shaft 8M is the same place, the shaft 8M is significantly worn. Therefore, in order to clarify the wear countermeasure effect, only the shaft base material 8 is subjected to various DLC coating treatments and tests are conducted. The DLC film 12 on the shaft surface is as described as an example of the DLC film 12 described above.

As an example of the present invention, sample No. Nos. 1 to 12 (overall evaluation ◎) are samples satisfying the evaluation criteria that the shaft wear amount is 1 μm or less, sample No. in Table 3. 25-40 (overall evaluation (circle)) is a sample which satisfy | filled the evaluation criteria from which shaft abrasion amount exceeds 1 micrometer and is 4 micrometers or less.
As a comparative example, sample No. 57-70 (overall evaluation x) is a sample that satisfies the evaluation standard in which the amount of shaft wear exceeds 4 μm.
Here, the sample with the shaft wear amount of 4 μm or less shows no change in vibration and sound compared with the initial test. More preferably, those having a small amount of shaft wear have high wear resistance, and therefore, the ◎ evaluation was classified according to the amount of shaft wear. In the evaluation, there is a case where the amount of shaft wear is large, the vibration becomes larger than the initial vibration, and the aggressiveness to the mating member is recognized. Since the shaft has the same load area, only a part of the shaft is greatly worn. Therefore, shaft wear greatly affects vibration.
As shown in FIG. 8, the above-mentioned “only a part of the shaft is greatly worn” means that only a portion Sa that reaches a predetermined small angle α in one circumferential direction from one portion A1 of the shaft surface is white as a dotted line. For example, it means that it is scraped off flat. However, it is not limited to the flat shape.
In addition, SUJ2 was applied to the shaft, outer ring, and rolling elements as the sample base material used in this wear test. As heat treatment conditions, general whole quenching was applied to the rolling elements and the outer ring, and induction surface quenching was applied to the shaft.

The parameter etc. which evaluated each sample are demonstrated.
(1) Fracture toughness value of DLC film formed on the rolling surface of bearing shaft The “fracture toughness” of the fracture toughness value used in the present application is synonymous with a scale representing resistance to brittle fracture of a thin film. Yes, the value is the “fracture toughness value”. As a method for measuring the fracture toughness value of a DLC film formed on the surface of a substrate, a method of JSang et al., Thin Solid Film (JSWang et al .: Thin Solid Film, 325, 163 (1998)) is known. This technique consists of two types of tests, which are a bending test of a substrate having a DLC film formed on the surface and an indentation test with superalloy balls on the surface of the DLC film. The fracture toughness value is determined from the crack generation behavior and the propagation behavior of the DLC film under test. The fracture toughness value is determined from the indentation diameter, the length of each crack generated on the surface of the hard coating, the area where the crack occurred, and the Young's modulus of the substrate and the hard coating.
As a method for measuring the fracture toughness value of the DLC film 12 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the average value of the measured values obtained by measuring the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M at ten intervals in the circumferential direction was obtained. . More specifically, a 1.6 mm diameter tungsten carbide (abbreviated as WC) indenter was pressed radially inward and substantially perpendicular to the measurement location on the axial center P1 of the surface of the shaft 8M, that is, the outer peripheral surface. The fracture toughness value was determined from the behavior of cracks generated on the surface of the coating. The indentation depth of the indenter with respect to this measurement location was 0.1 mm (0.5% of the indenter diameter) from the surface of the DLC film.

In the test, ten axial centers P1 of the shaft 8M were measured. However, an arbitrary plurality of locations at appropriate intervals may be measured in the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M, and an average value thereof may be obtained. In general, since the DLC film has little variation depending on the part, for example, the fracture toughness value may be obtained by measuring one arbitrary point in the axial center P1.
The indenter can be applied with a diameter other than 1.6 mm, and is not necessarily limited to WC. Even in such a case, the fracture toughness value of the DLC film 12 can be measured. The fracture toughness value of the DLC film having the necessary abrasion resistance in the present invention was 1.5 MPam ^1/2 or more and 6 MPam ^1/2 or less, more preferably ² MPam ^1/2 or more and 5 MPam ^1/2 or less. .

When the lower limit value of the fracture toughness value of the DLC coating 12 is 1.5 MPam ^1/2 , the formed DLC coating 12 can withstand repeated loads, and the DLC coating 12 can be hardly broken or peeled off. . When the upper limit value of the fracture toughness value is 6 MPam ^1/2 , the DLC film 12 can obtain a time for fitting with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the rolling surface with necessary and sufficient wear resistance, and to prevent the DLC film 12 from being broken or peeled off. As a result, it is possible to prevent an increase in aggression on the counterpart part. With the bearing 5 that defines such a fracture toughness value, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

(2) Adhesiveness of DLC film formed on the rolling surface surface of the shaft of the bearing The adhesiveness of the DLC film formed on the surface of the base material is formed by forming a film on the end surface of the cylindrical base material and Known methods include measuring the critical load (critical load) that bonds and pulls the two together, and scratching to measure the pressing load (critical load) that scratches the surface of the film by scratching it with a diamond indenter. It has been.
The critical load in the scratch method of the DLC film 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention was 40N to 110N, more preferably 60N to 100N. This critical load was measured, for example, using a CSM REVETEST scratch tester by a method based on the international standard ISO20502: 2005 established by the International Organization for Standardization. In the measuring method using the scratch method, as shown in FIG. 10, the measuring element includes P1 in the vicinity of the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M along the axial direction marked with an arrow AA1 (the starting point of AA1 and Measurement was performed by moving 10 mm so that P1 was included between the end points. This was repeated at 10 locations at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M, and the average value of these 10 locations was determined. In each measurement, the maximum indenter load was 100 N or 200 N, the load increasing speed was 100 N / min or 200 N / min, and the indenter moving speed was 10 mm / min. Further, the moving distance of the probe may not be 10 mm.
In the test, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M was measured at 10 locations. However, an arbitrary plurality of locations at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M may be measured to obtain an average value thereof. In general, since the DLC film has little variation depending on the part, for example, a value obtained by measuring an arbitrary position on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M may be adopted.

When the lower limit value of the critical load measured by the scratch method measurement of the DLC film 12 is 40 N, the DLC film 12 can be prevented from peeling off and the wear resistance can be exhibited. Moreover, the attack to the other components resulting from peeling of DLC film 12 can be prevented beforehand. When the upper limit value of this critical load is 110 N, it is possible to prevent the DLC coating 12 from wearing only a part of the coating surface during the time that the DLC coating 12 exhibits wear resistance, so that the coating surface roughness is reduced. Undesirably increasing the size can be prevented. With the bearing 5 that defines a critical load by such a scratch method measurement, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.
Furthermore, when the critical load of the DLC film 12 is 60N or more and 100N or less, the DLC film 12 may be undesirably peeled off during the time when the DLC film 12 is worn with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance or after the wear resistance is exhibited. It can prevent more reliably.

(3) About the hardness of the DLC film formed on the surface of the rolling surface of the shaft of the bearing The hardness of the DLC film 12 formed on the surface of the substrate is, for example, a dynamic ultra-small hardness meter DUH-201W (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). taking measurement. The value measured with this hardness meter is defined by the following equation as dynamic hardness HD. The hardness of the DLC film 12 represents the hardness of the film surface.
HD = 3.8584 × P / h ²
In the above formula, P represents the test load (mN), and h represents the pushing amount (μm) of the triangular cone indenter. As a method for measuring the hardness of the DLC film 12 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, an average value of measured values obtained by measuring the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M at ten intervals in the circumferential direction was obtained. At each measurement location, a test load of 5 gf is applied to the 115 ° triangular pyramid indenter, the loading speed of the triangular pyramid indenter is 0.135 gf / sec, and the triangular pan indenter holding time is 10 sec. The dynamic hardness “HD” may be expressed as “DH” or “DHT115” when represented by a value depending on the testing machine, but the dynamic hardness represented by “HD” does not depend on the testing machine. Value.
In this hardness meter, since the indenter is pushed into the object until the test load is reached and the amount of the indentation is measured, there is no visual impression measurement. Accordingly, the set load can be reduced and the penetration depth of the indenter can be reduced. For example, when measuring by applying a test load of 5 gf to a triangular cone indenter of 115 °, the film hardness can be determined more accurately than Vickers hardness.

  The dynamic hardness of the DLC film 12 having the abrasion resistance required in the present invention is HD800 or more and HD2000 or less. When the lower limit value of the dynamic hardness of the DLC film 12 is HD800, the rolling surface has a necessary and sufficient film strength, strengthens the bonding force between the film members, prevents film damage, and maintains wear resistance. When the upper limit value is HD2000, the difference in shaft surface hardness between the DLC film 12 and the shaft base material 8 can be reduced. Thereby, the crack of the DLC film 12 can be prevented and abrasion resistance can be maintained. The bearing 5 provided with the DLC film 12 having a dynamic hardness of HD 800 or more and HD 2000 or less can reduce wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matter.

(4) About the film thickness, surface roughness and film formation range of the DLC film formed on the surface of the rolling surface of the shaft When the DLC film 12 is formed on the entire surface of the shaft cylindrical part, for example, a carotester (CSM simple precision film thickness) The film thickness of the DLC film 12 is measured with a measuring machine CAROTEST).
When the DLC film 12 is formed only in the middle part of the surface of the shaft cylindrical part, for example, using a carotester (CSM simple precision film thickness measuring machine CAROTEST), a method based on the European standard EN1071-2: 2002 or a form talisurf ( The film thickness of the DLC film 12 is measured by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd. In this case, the intermediate portion of the surface of the shaft cylindrical portion is a longitudinal intermediate portion on the outer diameter surface of the shaft 8M, that is, an axial intermediate portion, and the insertion holes 6a, 6a of the opposing side walls 6, 6 of the rocker arm body 1. This is a portion including the rolling surface surface excluding the outer diameter surface on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 8M and the outer diameter surface on the other end side in the longitudinal direction.
As a method for measuring the film thickness of the DLC film 12 according to this embodiment, for example, when the DLC film 12 is formed only in the middle part of the surface of the axial cylindrical part, for example, using Form Talysurf (FormTalysurf-120L manufactured by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.) taking measurement. As shown in FIG. 12, from the surface of the shaft 8 sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the film end 8b on one side of the shaft 8M to the surface of the shaft 8 sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the film end 8b on the other side. Measurement was performed by moving the probe along the axial direction indicated by the arrow AA2. This was repeated 10 places at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M, and the average value of these 10 places was determined.

The surface roughness and film formation range of the DLC film 12 formed on the substrate surface are measured by, for example, Foam Talysurf (made by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.). In the method of measuring the “surface roughness” of the DLC film 12 according to the present embodiment, for example, using a form Talysurf (FormTalysurf-120L manufactured by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.), as shown in FIG. The vicinity was moved along the axial direction indicated by the arrow A3, and an average value of the measured values measured at 10 evaluation intervals at regular intervals in the circumferential direction with an evaluation length of 1.25 mm was obtained. Measurement points on the shaft 8M may be arranged at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction of the axial center P1. The evaluation length may not be 1.25 mm.
Further, the measurement method of the “film formation range” of the DLC film 12 according to this embodiment was also measured using the same form Talysurf (made by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the shaft 8 is sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the membrane end 8b on the other side from the surface of the shaft 8 sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the membrane end 8b on one side of the shaft 8M. Measurement was performed by moving the probe to the surface of the shaft 8 along the axial direction indicated by the arrow AA2. As shown in FIG. 14, this was repeated at 10 locations at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M, and the average value of these 10 locations was determined. According to this measurement method, a shape Ma as shown in FIG. 15 is obtained. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the shape of the film after measurement of the film formation range. In FIG. 15, the portion slightly raised radially outward from the surface of the shaft 8 is changed from one end P3 where the film is formed to the other end P4. Range, or “film formation range”. The coating in the vicinity of one end P3 rises steeply from one end P3 toward one side in the axial direction indicated by the arrow A2, and is thereafter formed flat up to the vicinity of the other end P4. The coating near the other end P4 rises sharply from the other end P4 toward the other in the axial direction. A range between the rising start positions on both sides is referred to as a “film formation range”.

The surface roughness of the DLC film 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention was Ra 0.25 μm or less. When the surface roughness of the DLC film 12 exceeds Ra 0.25 μm, the aggression against the counterpart part is recognized, and thus the wear resistance cannot be maintained. At the same time, when the surface roughness of the DLC film 12 is desired to be Ra 0.25 μm or less, the surface roughness of the shaft base material that is the base, that is, the surface of the shaft base material 8 not applied with the DLC film 12 is Ra 0.15 μm or less. preferable. When this Ra exceeds 0.15 μm, the surface roughness of the formed film may exceed Ra0.25 μm.
In other words, by setting the surface roughness of the base material surface to which the DLC coating 12 is to be applied to Ra 0.15 μm or less, the surface roughness of the DLC coating 12 can be Ra 0.25 μm or less and the wear resistance can be maintained. . Further, it is possible to prevent an attack on the opponent part.

Next, the film thickness δ2 of the DLC film 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less. The formed DLC film 12 needs time to blend in with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance. When the film thickness is less than 1 μm, since the film is completely peeled off before the DLC film 12 has the wear resistance, the wear resistance cannot be maintained.
The reason why the wear resistance cannot be exhibited when the film thickness δ2 of the DLC film is less than 1 μm will be described. Residual compressive stress is always generated when the DLC film is formed, but peeling of the film due to the residual compressive stress is prevented by the bonding force and adhesion force of the film member. When the film thickness δ2 becomes thin due to wear of the DLC film, the residual compressive stress decreases, but the bonding force and adhesion of the film member decrease more than the residual compressive stress. When the film thickness δ2 of the DLC film is 0.5 μm or less, the residual compressive stress is increased against the bonding force and adhesion force of the film member, and the film is peeled off. Therefore, the minimum film thickness required for the DLC film having the necessary wear resistance is 1.0 μm by adding 0.5 μm which wears before the DLC film becomes familiar with the lubricating oil and exhibits wear resistance.
When the film thickness exceeds 5 μm, the residual compressive stress generated when each DLC film 12 is formed becomes excessively large, and the film is easily cracked and peeled off when an impact load is applied. Cannot be maintained.

The film thickness of the DLC film 12 applied to the shaft 8M having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention is ± 2 μm with reference to the film thickness δ2 (FIG. 4) at the axial center P1 (FIG. 2). The range is as follows. The variation in the film thickness of the DLC film 12 based on the film thickness δ2 at the axial center P1 is referred to as “thickness variation”. This “thickness variation” is the difference between the thickness δ2 and the thickness of the thickest portion of the DLC film 12 on the basis of the thickness δ2 of the central P1 in the axial direction, Or, a large value is shown in the difference between the thickness of the thinnest portion and the thickness δ2.
For example, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), when the axial center P1 is the thinnest among the thicknesses of the DLC film 12, the film thickness δmax (δmax is 4 μm, for example) at the thickest portion, and the film at the axial center P1. By obtaining the difference (δmax−δ2) from the thickness δ2 (δ2 is 2 μm, for example), the thickness variation is obtained.
As shown in FIG. 16B, when the axial center P1 is the thickest among the thicknesses of the DLC film 12, the axial center P1 has a film thickness δ2 (δ2 is 3 μm, for example), and the film thickness of the thinnest portion. By obtaining the difference (δ2−δmin) from δmin (where δmin is 2 μm, for example), thickness variation can be obtained.
As shown in FIG. 16C, when the film thickness δ2 at the axial center P1 is an intermediate value, the film thickness δmax (δmax is, for example, 3 μm) at the thickest portion and the film thickness δ2 (δ2 at the axial center P1) For example, a difference (δmax−δ2) from 1.5 μm) is obtained. Further, the difference (δ2−δmin) between the film thickness δ2 (δ2 is 1.5 μm, for example) and the film thickness δmin (δmin is 0.5 μm, for example) at the thinnest portion is obtained. Among these differences (δmax−δ2) and (δ2−δmin), a thickness variation is obtained by adopting a larger value (currently δmax−δ2). When the film thickness δ2 of the formed DLC film 12 changes depending on the location, the load acting on the film becomes non-uniform, and an excessive contact surface pressure acts locally. As described above, when the film thickness δ2 of the DLC film 12 applied to the shaft 8M is within a range of ± 2 μm or less with respect to the film thickness δ2 at the axial center P1, the load acting on the DLC film 12 is uniform. Turn into. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an excessive contact surface pressure from acting locally. Therefore, not only the wear resistance is lowered, but also the DLC film 12 can be prevented from peeling off. The peeled DLC film does not attack the mating member.

Further, the axial formation range of the DLC film 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention is obtained by subtracting a value obtained by multiplying the axial dimension of the roller chamfer by “2” from the roller length. It is preferable that the value is larger than the value determined by the value, that is, the roller (rolling element) length−the axial dimension of the roller (rolling element) chamfer × 2 (both ends). More preferably, it is more than the rolling surface.
When the roller follower shaft 8M is caulked and fixed to the rocker arm, the DLC film 12 is formed on the shaft 8M so that the deformation amount after caulking is the shaft diameter before caulking (the axial center of the shaft 8M after caulking). It is a region of +0.1 mm or less with respect to (the shaft diameter at P1). Since the roller follower caulks both ends of the shaft 8M formed during assembly, if a film is formed on a deformed portion exceeding the shaft diameter +0.1 mm before caulking, the DLC film peels off and the wear resistance cannot be exhibited. Instead, it attacks the opponent's parts. That is, the peeled film becomes a foreign substance.

(5) About the surface hardness of the shaft (base material) of the bearing Normally, the method for confirming the surface hardness (rolling surface portion hardness) of the base material not coated with the DLC film is to use a Rockwell hardness meter or a Vickers hardness meter. The hardness of the substrate surface is directly measured. However, in the case of a substrate having a DLC coating 12 on the surface, the above measurement method cannot be used. Therefore, the cross-sectional hardness of the base material is measured with a Vickers hardness meter, and the value at the point 0.03 mm from the interface with the DLC film is used as the base material surface hardness. Since the DLC film 12 is applied to the substrate surface, the substrate surface hardness is preferably close to the DLC film hardness.
In the method for measuring the shaft surface hardness according to the present embodiment, for example, a micro Vickers hardness tester (HMV-1 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) was used to measure 10 axial centers of the shaft 8M at appropriate circumferential intervals. The average value of the measured values was obtained. Specifically, in order to obtain the surface hardness at the point of 0.03 mm from the interface with the DLC film, as shown in FIG. 17, the axial center of the shaft 8M is cut along a virtual plane kh substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. To do. As shown in FIG. 18, a point P2 on a straight line L4 connecting the surface of the shaft 8M, that is, the outer peripheral edge 8Ma, to the shaft center L3 on the cut surface sh is measured with the micro Vickers hardness tester at a test load of 300 g. That is, the hardness at a point of L5 (L5 = 0.03 mm) is measured from the interface between the coating 12 and the shaft 8 in the axial center direction. Thus, let the average value of the measured value measured 10 places for every circumferential direction appropriate interval be base-material surface hardness.

The hardness of the substrate surface on which the DLC coating 12 has been confirmed for wear resistance in the present invention is HV650 or more and HV1000 or less. Specifically, when the wear amount of each part of the bearing 5 in Table 2 that falls within the range of the substrate surface hardness was confirmed, the shaft 8M, the rolling element 10, and the outer ring 9 were all kept to a predetermined wear amount or less, and the wear of the entire bearing was reduced. Was able to be reduced.
On the other hand, in the test bearing of Table 4, after the test, the shaft 8M, the rolling element 10, and the outer ring 9 were all larger than the predetermined wear amount, and the wear amount of the entire bearing was increased. This is because, due to the insufficient strength of the base material, the base material is plastically deformed, and in particular, wear of the shaft 8M has progressed.
When the lower limit of the substrate surface hardness is HV650, the required strength of the substrate is satisfied, and the deformation amount of the substrate can be suppressed to a predetermined amount or less. Therefore, the adhesiveness between the substrate surface and the DLC film 12 formed on the substrate surface can be improved. When the upper limit value of the substrate surface hardness is HV1000, the necessary toughness value of the substrate is satisfied, and the adhesion to the DLC coating 12 can be improved without causing cracks in the substrate.

  Even after the heat treatment, when the DLC film 12 made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon is adopted, the surface hardness is made close to HV1000 by subjecting the shaft surface to shot peening before film formation. be able to. In the case of a film formed by the AD method (aerosol deposition method), there are particles having a size exceeding the average particle size in the raw material powder. A particle having a large particle size does not contribute to film formation and collides with the surface of the base material to be subjected to peening treatment, and the surface hardness of the base material can be close to HV1000.

(6) Roundness after the DLC film is formed on the rolling surface of the shaft of the bearing The roundness after the DLC film 12 is formed on the cylindrical substrate surface is, for example, Talirond (made by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.) Measure with Talyrond 262). The “roundness” is a geometric tolerance that refers to a magnitude of deviation from a geometrically correct circle of a circular shape. This roundness is expressed as the radius difference between the two circles when the distance between the two concentric circles is the minimum when the circular shape is sandwiched between two concentric geometric circles. Roundness XXμm, or roundness Displayed as XXmm. In the method of measuring “roundness” after forming the DLC film 12 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the film formation range of the axis 8M is represented by an arrow A4 using the talirond. The average value of the measured values measured at 10 locations in the circumferential direction at appropriate intervals in the axial direction was determined.
The roundness of the shaft 8M after the formation of the DLC film, which had the necessary wear resistance in the present invention, was 4 μm or less. When the roundness exceeds 4 μm, the film thickness δ2 changes depending on the location, the load applied to the film becomes non-uniform, and the contact surface pressure becomes locally excessive. Therefore, not only the wear resistance is lowered, but also the possibility of inducing the peeling of the DLC film 12 is increased. Furthermore, the aggression against the mating parts is also increased by peeling the DLC film 12.

In order to set the roundness of the shaft 8M to 4 μm or less, it is necessary to set the roundness of the shaft base material 8 to 2 μm or less.
Therefore, the rolling surface is necessary by satisfying one or both of the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft base material 8 of 2 μm or less and the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft 8M of 4 μm or less. Has sufficient wear resistance. Since the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft 8M is 4 μm or less, the film thickness δ2 does not change depending on the location, the load applied to the DLC film 12 is made uniform, and excessive local contact surface pressure can be prevented. it can. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the rolling surface with necessary and sufficient wear resistance and prevent the DLC film 12 from being peeled off. As a result, it is possible to prevent an increase in aggression on the counterpart part. By setting the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft base material 8 to 2 μm or less, the roundness of the shaft 8M can be set to 4 μm or less. With such a bearing 5, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

(7) Clearance between the shaft, rolling element and outer ring of the rolling bearing By forming the DLC film 12 on the shaft surface, the clearances of the components constituting the bearing 5, that is, the shaft 8M, the rolling element 10 and the outer ring 9, change. The clearance of the rolling bearing is defined by a radial clearance and a circumferential clearance δ1 per 10 rolling elements.
The radial clearance of the bearing 5 that had the necessary wear resistance in the present invention was 2 μm or more and 45 μm or less.
The lower limit value of the radial clearance of the bearing provided with the DLC film can be 2 μm. The assembly of the bearing 5 can be facilitated, and the dimensional change due to the thermal expansion of the base material can be suppressed by applying the DLC film, and problems such as seizure and wear due to poor lubrication can be prevented in advance. Can do. By setting the upper limit value of the radial clearance to 45 μm, it is possible to suppress vibration and sound caused by the skew of the rolling elements, and to prevent a decrease in bearing life.

On the other hand, the circumferential clearance δ1 per rolling element 10 of the bearing 5 having the necessary wear resistance was 2 μm or more and 25 μm or less.
The lower limit value of the circumferential clearance δ1 of the bearing (with a DLC coating) can be 2 μm. The assembly of the bearing 5 can be facilitated, and the dimensional change due to the thermal expansion of the base material can be suppressed by applying the DLC film, and problems such as seizure and wear due to poor lubrication can be prevented in advance. Can do. Since the upper limit value of the circumferential clearance δ1 is set to 25 μm, it is possible to suppress vibration and sound caused by the skew of the rolling elements and prevent a reduction in bearing life.

Hydrogen content of DLC film made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon containing sp2- and sp3- hybrid carbon formed on the surface of the rolling surface of the shaft The hydrogen content of the DLC film 12 formed on the surface of the shaft 8M is, for example, Analyze with ERDA (Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis: HRBS500 manufactured by Kobe Steel). As a method for measuring the hydrogen content of the DLC film 12 according to this embodiment, an average value of measured values obtained by measuring the axial center of the shaft 8M at 10 locations at appropriate circumferential intervals as shown in FIG. The region from the surface to a film thickness of 0.3 μm was analyzed. The measurement of hydrogen content by ERDA is observed from the film surface in order to evaluate the composition distribution in the depth direction. It is sufficient to read the hydrogen content in the region up to 0.3 μm in the depth direction from the measurement result.
The hydrogen content of the surface of the DLC film 12, that is, the outermost surface layer 27 to 0.3 μm, having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention is 10 atomic% or more and 30 atomic% or less, preferably 16 The atomic% was 25 atomic% or less. When the hydrogen content is less than 10 atomic%, the adhesion is lowered. When the hydrogen content exceeds 30 atomic%, the bondability between the film materials is reduced, the film is easily peeled off, and the wear resistance is lowered.

(9) Metal content of the DLC film made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbons containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon formed on the rolling surface of the shaft of the bearing The metal content of the DLC film 12 formed on the surface of the shaft 8M The amount is analyzed by, for example, SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry: ADEPT-1010 manufactured by ULVAC-PHI). In particular, in order to improve the adhesion between the DLC film 12 and the substrate, Cr (chromium) is improved, and the adhesion between the amorphous hydrocarbon layer (including the metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon layer) and the Cr (chromium) layer is improved. For this purpose, W (tungsten) is contained. As a method for measuring the metal content of the DLC film 12 according to this embodiment, an average value of measured values obtained by measuring 10 axial centers of the shaft 8M at appropriate circumferential intervals as shown in FIG.

  The content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) in the DLC film 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary for the present invention was 5 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less. When the content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) is less than 5 atomic%, the adhesion between the DLC film 12 and the substrate is lowered. When it exceeds 50 atomic%, more than half of the DLC film 12 constituting the amorphous hydrocarbon film becomes a metal, the hardness is lowered and the wear resistance is lowered.

  The above parameters affect the wear resistance of the bearing 5 in which the DLC film 12 is formed on the rolling surface. Each parameter not only affects the wear resistance independently, but the wear resistance is further improved by combining the regions that maintain the wear resistance.

  According to the rocker arm assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the DLC coating 12 is applied on the shaft base material 8, and the DLC coating 12 includes the outermost surface layer 27, the underlayer 25, and the surfaces thereof. A chromium-tungsten carbide layer 26 interposed between the layer 27 and the underlayer 25 is provided. In particular, since the tungsten carbide content in the chromium-tungsten carbide layer 26 has an inclined structure that increases from the base layer 25 side toward the surface layer 27 side, the composition of the layer gradually and continuously changes, and the surface layer The adhesion between the shaft 27 and the shaft base 8 is excellent. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the DLC coating 12 from being undesirably peeled from the base material, to improve wear resistance, to prevent surface damage in the initial operation start state of the engine, and to prevent seizure. It is possible to improve the subsequent lubrication state and ensure sufficient durability.

  In order to form the chromium-tungsten carbide layer 26 by sputtering, the Cr-WC layer 26 is adjusted by adjusting the output of the applied voltage of the target 20 made of Cr and the output of the applied voltage of the target 21 made of WC. Can be easily formed. By adjusting the output of such applied voltage, a gradient structure of the content of tungsten carbide in the Cr-WC layer 26 can be easily and reliably produced.

The axial intermediate portion of the shaft may be equal to or greater than the rolling surface width of the rolling element 10. In this case, the DLC film 12 is applied after the axial intermediate portion of the shaft base 8 is cured by heat treatment. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the rolling surface with necessary and sufficient wear resistance, and to prevent the DLC film 12 from being broken or peeled off.
The substrate hardness in the axial direction intermediate portion of the shaft may be HRC 58 or more at a depth of 50 μm or more from the surface of the substrate. When the DLC film 12 is applied to the surface of the base material, if the optimal DLC film is not applied, the peeled DLC film acts as a hard foreign substance, and thus wear may occur from the surface of the base material to a depth of 50 μm or more. When the base material hardness of the axial middle part of the shaft is HRC58 or more at a depth of 50 μm or more from the surface of the base material, the wear resistance of the shaft can be enhanced.

The rocker arm assembly may be an internal combustion engine such as a vehicle used for a diesel engine or a direct injection gasoline engine. These engines generate more hard foreign matter than ordinary gasoline engines, and the hard foreign matter may cause significant wear on the shaft of the rocker arm assembly. By using the rocker arm assembly of the present invention in an engine with a large amount of hard foreign matter generated, the wear resistance can be particularly improved.
In the present embodiment, the DLC film is applied to the rolling bearing. However, the above-described DLC film may be applied to the sliding bearing, and the parameters may be applied to the rolling bearing. In this case, the axial intermediate portion of the shaft may be equal to or greater than the outer ring width. In this case, the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the shaft base material is cured by heat treatment, and then the DLC film is applied. Therefore, the rolling surface can be maintained at a necessary and sufficient wear resistance, and the DLC film can be prevented from being broken or peeled off. Even when the DLC film is applied to the slide bearing, the same operations and effects as the present embodiment can be obtained.
The rolling bearing may be a rolling element having a ball.

It is a front view of the rocker arm assembly concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the bearing part in the same rocker arm assembly. It is a fracture front view of the bearing. It is an expanded sectional view of the important section of the bearing. It is a figure which represents roughly the sputtering device which forms a DLC film in the principal part of the bearing. (A) is a principal part sectional view which expands and shows the relationship between a shaft base material and a DLC film, and (B) is for explaining a method for analyzing the ratio of WC or Cr from the base layer side to the surface layer side. FIG. It is sectional drawing of the testing machine of the same bearing. It is sectional drawing which shows typically a shaft cross section when only a part of shaft is worn greatly. It is a perspective view showing roughly the fracture toughness value measuring method of the DLC film concerning the embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the adhesiveness (scratch method) measuring method of the DLC film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the hardness of the DLC film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the film thickness of the same DLC film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the surface roughness of the DLC film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the film formation range of the same DLC film. It is a figure showing the shape of the DLC film after a film formation range measurement. FIGS. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing the thickness variation of the DLC film, in which FIG. 16A shows the case where the axial center is the thinnest, FIG. 16B shows the case where the axial center is the thickest, and FIG. c) is a diagram in the case where the film thickness at the center in the axial direction is an intermediate value. It is a perspective view showing the state of the previous stage which calculates | requires the surface hardness of 0.03 mm point from the interface with a DLC film. It is a side view which shows the state which measures the point on the straight line which connects an axial center from the outer periphery part of an axis | shaft in the cut surface surface of an axis | shaft. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the measuring method of roundness after forming a DLC film. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the measurement location of the hydrogen content contained in a DLC film. It is a perspective view which shows schematically the measurement location of the metal content contained in a DLC film.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rocker arm main body 5 ... Bearing 8M ... Shaft 9 ... Outer ring 10 ... Rolling element 12 ... DLC film

Claims (10)

A rocker arm having a shaft having at least an axially intermediate portion hardened by heat treatment, an outer ring positioned on the outer periphery of the shaft, a rolling element that rolls between the outer ring and the shaft, and a rocker arm body that fixes the shaft. In Assy
A DLC coating is applied to the shaft;
This DLC coating is
an outermost surface layer comprising amorphous hydrocarbons containing sp2- and sp3-cross carbons;
Under the surface layer, facing the shaft base material, and containing at least chromium,
A chromium-tungsten carbide layer containing chromium and tungsten carbide, interposed between the surface layer and the base layer,
A rocker arm assembly, wherein the chromium-tungsten carbide layer has an inclined structure in which a content of tungsten carbide increases from the base layer side toward the surface layer side. In a rocker arm assembly having at least an axially hardened shaft by heat treatment, an outer ring that is in sliding contact with the outer diameter surface of the shaft, and a rocker arm body that fixes the shaft,
A DLC coating is applied to the shaft;
This DLC coating is
an outermost surface layer comprising amorphous hydrocarbons containing sp2- and sp3-cross carbons;
Under the surface layer, facing the shaft base material, and containing at least chromium,
A chromium-tungsten carbide layer containing chromium and tungsten carbide, interposed between the surface layer and the base layer,
A rocker arm assembly, wherein the chromium-tungsten carbide layer has an inclined structure in which a content of tungsten carbide increases from the base layer side toward the surface layer side.   3. The rocker arm assembly according to claim 1, wherein the chromium-tungsten carbide layer is formed by a sputtering process.   4. The rocker arm assembly according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer of the DLC film has a hydrogen content in a region from the surface to 0.3 μm of 10 atomic% to 30 atomic%.   5. The rocker arm assembly according to claim 1, wherein the chromium-tungsten carbide layer has a total content of chromium and tungsten of not less than 5 atomic% and not more than 50 atomic%.   2. The rocker arm assembly according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the shaft is equal to or larger than a rolling surface width of the rolling element.   3. The rocker arm assembly according to claim 2, wherein an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the shaft is greater than or equal to an outer ring width.   The rocker arm assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base material hardness of the axially intermediate portion of the shaft has an HRC of 58 or more at a depth of 50 µm or more from the surface of the base material.   The rocker arm assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rocker arm assembly is used for a diesel engine.   9. The rocker arm assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rocker arm assembly is used for a direct injection gasoline engine.

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