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To reveal the mechanical properties of thermal spray coating on different scales,flame spray NiCrBSi coating with average thickness 750μm was prepared on 45 carbon steel substrate, the mechanical properties, elastic-plasticity and indentation deformation of coating surface and cross-section were studied by nanoindentation. Results indicate that scale-dependent behaviors of coating mechanical properties were observed as a function of indentation depth for either the coating surface or the cross-section. The nano hardness, modulus and elastic-plasticity of coating decrease with the increasing indentation depth. The coating surface exhibits higher elasticity than the coating cross-section, the ratio of elastic work to the total indentation work, ηIT, of coating surface is 52% at the depth of 500nm, while that of coating cross-section is 40%; moreover, the coating cross-section possesses higher hardness and modulus than the coating surface; the corresponding values of the coating crosssection are 28% and 33% at the depth of 2000nm, higher than those of the coating surface, respectively. The indentation marks show ideal plastic deformation, pile-up and sink-in, and cracks. The difference of ηIT values between coating surface and cross-section decreases with the increasing indentation depth. It reaches about 35% at the depth of 2500nm from the both coating directions. For the coating splat structure,hardness and elastic modulus are the same in different directions,besides, with the increasing indentation depth, larger volume is involved in the indentation. The influence of the surrounding splats (especially the pores, cracks or grain/splat boundaries) on the measured coating properties is enhanced gradually,leading to differences in the appearance between different coating directions, as well as the decrease of coating hardness, elastic modulus.

The mechanical properties of a nanoscale-thickness film material determine its reliability and service life. To achieve quantitative detection of film material mechanical performance based on nanoscale mechanical testing methods and to explore the influence of loading frequency of the cycle load on the fatigue test, a TiN film was prepared on monocrystalline silicon by magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the nanoscale-thickness film material was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The residual stress distribution of the thin film was obtained by using an electronic film stress tester. The hardness values and the fatigue behavior were measured by using a nanomechanical tester. Combined with finite element simulation, the paper analyzed the influence of the film thickness and loading frequency on the deformation, as well as the equivalent stress and strain. The results showed that the TiN film was a typical face-centered cubic structure with a large amount of amorphous. The residual compressive stress decreased gradually with increasing thin film thickness, and the influence of the substrate on the elastic modulus and hardness was also reduced. A greater load frequency would accelerate the dynamic fatigue damage that occurs in TiN films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instrumented indentation, which is also known as nanoindentation or depth-sensing indentation, is increasingly being used to probe the residual stresses of materials including bulk solids, thin films, and coatings. The residual stresses are proved to have significant effects on various nanoindentation parameters such as hardness, loading curve, unloading curve, pile-up amount around indentation, and true contact area. By analyzing these parameters, numerous methods are developed to evaluate the residual stresses of materials in recent years. This article reviews six commonly used models which determine residual stresses from analyzing load-depth curves, as well as indentation fracture technique which is based on the classical fracture mechanics. Emphasis is placed on the principle, application and limitation of each nanoindentation method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mechanical behavior and fatigue properties greatly influence the reliability and life of film materials. Quantitative testing of film fatigue property under dynamic load is realized on the basis of nanometers thick Cu films deposited on monocrystalline silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering system. Microstructure and surface pattern of copper films are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Film hardness and modulus are measured by quasi-static test and continuous measurements (CMX) systems of nanomechanical testing instrument. Fatigue damage behaviors are investigated by nanoscale dynamic mechanical analysis (nanoDMA) technique. The results indicate that Cu films prepared by magnetron sputtering system present (1 1 1) preferred orientation and contain a large number of nanoscale grains with uniform texture and low roughness. As is affected by substrate and small scale effect, CMX method is more suitable than quasi-static method for the measurement of micro-mechanical properties of ultra-thin films. Fatigue dominantly happens in thinner films. Factors, like thickness, inner stress, modulus and hardness, can influence fatigue life of nanoscale Cu films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, the residual stress in the plasma-sprayed FeCrBSi coating was determined by nanoindentation and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD results showed that tensile residual stress was generated in the FeCrBSi coating, and the through-thickness values range between 40MPa and 112MPa. The residual stress measured by nanoindentation is 753MPa. The difference between the XRD and nanoindentation results was discussed. It is found that the factors limiting the nanoindentation measurement of residual stress include the ‘sink-in’ deformation around the indenter, the roughness of the FeCrBSi coating, and the use of reference sample without residual stress. The above three factors lead to the over-prediction of residual stress by nanoindentation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the residual stress in quenched AISI 1045 steel was measured by a recently developed nanoindentation technique. Depth control mode was adopted to measure the residual stress. It was found that residual compressive stress was generated in the quenched steel. The material around nanoindents exhibits significant pile-up deformation. A new method was proposed to determine the real contact area for pile-up material on the basis of invariant pile-up morphology of the loaded or unloaded states. The results obtained by the new method were in good agreement with the residual stresses measured by the classical X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we develop a method for determining the hardness of FeCrBSi coating on a 1045 steel substrate. The nano-indents of the FeCrBSi coating exhibit obvious pile-up. The proposed method models the projected contact area as an equilateral triangle bounded by arcs to correct for the effect of pile-up on the contact area. The new method is described in detail and leads to improvement in obtaining coating hardness compared with the widely adopted Oliver–Pharr method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, clad layers of iron-based alloy with a nature of self-fluxing were melted on low carbon steel by plasma cladding process. Nanoindentation with atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to investigate the mechanical properties of the coating. Hardness and elastic modulus at ultra-low loads were first determined using the method proposed by Giannakopoulos and Suresh (G&S method). The true contact area and mechanical properties were then determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with the Oliver and Pharr method (new proposed method) as the correction group. The mechanical properties calculated by the two methods showed the same distribution while had deviation in specific values. The effect of surface roughness to the calculated mechanical properties was investigated. Both hardness and elastic modulus were found to exhibit certain surface roughness dependence. When root mean square (RMS) roughness ranged from 2.2nm to 4.4nm, hardness calculated by both the methods increased obviously and reached maximums around 4.1nm. Elastic modulus calculated by G&S method at different RMS showed the same distribution with that of hardness, while reduced elastic modulus obtained by AFM was insensitive to the range of RMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]