Mechanical response of ductile polymer coatings to contact and tensile deformation

Abstract

Ductile polymer coatings were investigated in terms of their response to uniaxial deformation and contact deformation with respect to indentation and scratching. The effects of pigmentation, contact geometry, load and speed on the mechanical response were studied. The materials have been tested with extended spherical contacts deep into the coating layer and concentrated conical contacts close to the surface. The residual deformation pattern was examined with optical microscopy, white-light interferometry and atomic force microscopy. In the case of extended spherical contacts, corresponding to small effective strains, there was a correlation between the magnitude of residual deformation and the tensile strength. In the case of concentrated conical contacts, corresponding to larger strains, the materials were ranked differently. Reproducible failure transitions were detected with increased scratch load for the conical contacts. These failure transitions could not be directly linked to uniaxial break parameters. Stratification appears to be an issue in pigmented coatings. The effect of pigmentation was increased tensile stiffness and improved scratch resistance.