ABSTRACTWe have investigated the hardness and tribological properties of Cu/TiB₂ multilayer structures deposited on substrates of tempered martensitic steel. Films of Cu and TiB₂ were also deposited as hardness standards. The wear properties of the films were found to be poor, because of lack of adhesion. However, the films do appear to have good fracture toughness. The hardness of the multilayer was 18% greater than that predicted by the law of mixtures applied to the reference standards and, when corrected for variations in substrate hardness, very nearly equal to that of the TiB₂ film. Irradiation by 400 keY Ne-ions to doses of 1.0, 6.0, and 12×10¹⁵ ion/cm² results in a slight hardening of the multilayer. The structure was found to have excellent stability against radiation damage.