Abstract
Microscopic properties of nanocrystal Aluminum thin film have been simulated using the quasicontinuum method in order to study the surface defect influence in nanoindentation. Various distances between the surface defect and indenter have been taken into account. The results show that as the distance between the pit and indenter increases, the nanohardness increases in a wave pattern associated with a cycle of three atoms, which is closely related to the crystal structure of periodic atoms arrangement on {111} atomic close-packed planes of face-centered cubic metal; when the adjacent distance between the pit and indenter is more than 16 atomic spacing, there is almost no effect on nanohardness. In addition, the theoretical formula for the necessary load for the elastic-to-plastic transition of Al film has been modified with the initial surface defect size, which may contribute to the investigation of material properties with surface defects.
Highlights
Nanoindentation [1], which is relatively simple and effective, has already been a standard technique for evaluating the mechanical properties of thin films, widely used in many research fields [2,3,4,5,6,7]
The load-displacement curve showing the basic information obtained from nanoindentation simulations on the defect-free surface is presented in Figure 2, where the load is expressed by length units of the indenter in the out-of-plane direction with its unit N/m
Compared with the nanoindentation on a defect-free surface, fifteen various distances of the adjacent boundary between the pit and indenter are taken into account
Summary
Nanoindentation [1], which is relatively simple and effective, has already been a standard technique for evaluating the mechanical properties of thin films, widely used in many research fields [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Wenshan Yu and Shengping Shen observed the strong effects of the geometry of the nanocavity as a kind of defect in the film during nanoindentation [12]. The pitted surface can usually be seen in polycrystalline, microchips, MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems), and nanoindentation technology, as one typical kind of defect. It is necessary and significant to make an observation on the nature of the pitted surface in nanoindentation. Ni yushan et al [15] have already studied the nanoindentation of
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