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Deformation of a hard coating on ductile substrate system during nanoindentation: Role of the coating microstructure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2006

Z-H. Xie ,
M. Hoffman ,
R.J. Moon  and
P.R. Munroe
Z-H. Xie*
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales,Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
M. Hoffman
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales,Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
R.J. Moon
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales,Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
P.R. Munroe
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales,Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: zhxie@materials.unsw.edu.au
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Abstract

Deformation and fracture of a columnar-grained, ∼1.3-μm-thick TiN coating on a stainless steel substrate was investigated using a spherical tipped conical indenter of 5-μm nominal tip radius. Structural analysis, performed with the support of focused ion beam (FIB) milling and imaging techniques, revealed that the microstructure of the TiN coating had a strong influence on the deformation behavior of the coating. Intergranular sliding in the coating, as well as plastic flow in the ductile substrate, was found to be the predominant processes during the indentation. Neither plastic deformation, in the form of plastic flow, within the coating nor delamination of the interface was observed. Coating deformation was observed to be controlled by the intergranular shear cracking and thus by the interfacial columbic frictional stress between columnar grains. An indentation-energy based model was developed, which deconvolutes the coating behavior from that of the substrate, allowing quantification of the intergranular sliding stress.

Keywords

FilmMicrostructureNanostructure
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , February 2006 , pp. 437 - 447
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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