The wear resistance and hardness of the cutting teeth of the chainsaw determine the service life and efficiency of the chainsaw. Traditionally, hard chrome coatings are used for their superior hardness and wear resistance. However, due to environmental and health concerns, traditional manufacturing methods is banned by European Union since September 2017. Existing users of hard chrome electroplating methods are asked by EU to apply for permission to use the process for a limited time. Therefore, either a new coating material or a new method is required to find a suitable replacement of hard chrome coating. This thesis examines the formation of a hard chromium carbide coating through a conversion of a pure chromium layer deposited by physical vapor deposition.

In this study, the coated samples were first heat treated for different temperatures and times to observe the formation of chromium carbides. To characterize the heat-treated samples SEM, EDS, EBSD and nano indentation methods were used and based on these results an optimized process window is proposed to form a fully converted chromium carbide layer.

Simulation of the conversion coating was performed using the Dictra module in Thermo-Calc in order to correlate experimental findings with future experiments. However, due to limitations within the software, it was found that the simulations are not consistent with experimental findings and cannot be used for experimental planning.