Abstract
The effect of geometric confinement is well-known from hardness measurements of thin films on stiff substrates and has been modeled both phenomenologically and using e.g. Finite Element Analysis. However, these models are mainly focused on a specific experiment or a certain material family. In the present work, Finite Element Analysis is used to gain a better understanding of the interplay between geometric constraints in various microstructures and a wide range of materials properties. It is shown that a very simple model can be used to replicate thin film hardness data where the film is softer than the substrate as well as how materials properties alter the indentation behavior of materials confined in one to three dimensions. It is shown that qualitative agreement with nanoindentation of the metallic binder phase in the complex 3D-microstructure of a cemented carbide is achieved using an axisymmetric “pill-box” model with classical plasticity. It is also shown that the effect of higher-order confinement can be described by the Korsunsky thin film hardness model by re-optimizing the fitting parameters.
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