Determination of the mechanical properties of metallic thin films and substrates from indentation tests

摘要

A procedure to obtain the elasto-plastic mechanical properties of strain-hardening materials from indentation tests. based on dimensional analysis and finite-element techniques, is proposed. The method is applicable to homogeneous materials and to coatings deposited on substrates of known mechanical properties. The Young's modulus of the material is extracted from the initial slope of the unloading indentation curve and the yield strength and strain-hardening exponent are obtained from the maximum indentation load and the contact area after unloading. The method is used to obtain the properties of a high-alloy steel and Mo and AlSi coatings deposited on a steel substrate by plasma spraying. The sensitivity of the measurement to the depth of indentation is discussed. [References: 19]