Effects of normal load on single-pass scratching of polymer surfaces

The effects of normal load and the resulting scratch depth on scratch force profile, scratch hardness and the mechanisms of deformation and material removal for a number of industrially important polymers are studied. Upon scratching by a 30° angled conical tip, the mean tangential or scratch force is found to be linearly related to the normal load at lower speed (0.2 mm s⁻¹); however, at higher scratching speed (2.0 mm s⁻¹), there is a decrease in the slope of the scratch force versus normal load curve for all polymers. The phenomenon of stick-slip is severe at higher normal loads and scratch depths for the polymers that show ductile nature. The scratch hardness for softer polymers tends to decrease with normal load, whereas for harder polymers, scratch hardness increases for intermediate loads and tends to decrease at very high loads. The deformation mechanism, to a large extent, is insensitive to the imposed normal load or the depth of scratching; however, material removal and debris formation process depends upon the scratch depth.     

Nanoindentation Response of Scratched Polymeric Surfaces

The effects of imposed strains on the polymeric surfaces during scratching on the material deformation below the visible surface have not been reported in the literature. The major concern for the polymeric surfaces is the problems related to the effective sectioning for imaging/scanning unlike metal and ceramics. This article describes an experimental qualitative methodology, based on nanoindentation data, to analyze subsurface deformations of polymers resulting from scratch deformations. Poly(styrene), a brittle polymer, poly(methylmethacrylate), a ductile polymer, and poly(etheretherketone), a semicrystalline polymer, were selected for the present study. Nanoindentation responses of the scratched poly(styrene), the scratched poly(methylmethacrylate), and the scratched poly(etheretherketone) surfaces were analyzed with emphasis on the detection of subsurface crazing damage. The polymers were scratched using a 90⁰ conical indenter on a pendulum sclerometer. The scratched polymeric surfaces were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The polymeric surfaces were observed to be deformed by a well-known ductile ploughing mechanism. The deformed polymeric surfaces were indented using an MTS Nanoindenter. The data show that the hard asperity scratching initiates subsurface damage, which may tentatively lead to the development of subsurface voidage or crazing in certain areas of the deformed polymers, particularly within the base of the scratch groove. Major conclusions of the work are that the nanoindentation of damaged polymeric surfaces provides a qualitative methodology to estimate the subsurface damage and craze formation. This methodology is important in the context of polymers where conventional effective sectioning of the damaged surface to analyze the subsurface deformations might not be possible.     

Mechanisms of blistering and chipping of a scratch-resistant coating

In most cases, scratching of the surface of a polymeric glass elicits brittle behavior. Industrial solutions have been successfully used to improve the scratch resistance of polymeric glasses and a common way is to coat the substrate with a thin film. However, one of the limitations of this method is the risk of cracking and chipping. The origin of the success of the coating technique is still of great research interest and further work will be required to explain the improvement in scratch resistance and predict the cracking in anti-scratch coatings. The present study contributes to these aims.

Using a single-asperity scratching device allowing in situ observation of the scratch, the fracturing of a thin (3.5 μm) nano-composite coating deposited on a viscoelastic–viscoplastic substrate (polycarbonate) was investigated under different conditions of temperature and scratching speed. Four types of fracture mechanisms were observed, depending on these two variables. The processes involved in deformation of the system were: (i) delamination (blister formation) and fracture (chipping) of the coating and (ii) viscoelastic–viscoplastic deformation of the substrate. Image analyses were performed on video sequences of the different processes leading to damage of the film. The quantitative results are discussed in terms of the damage mechanisms involved.     

Recurrent Morphology in the Scratching of Polymers

When a smooth sample surface is scratched by an indenter at constant normal load and driving speed, a macroscopically smooth groove is expected to be made on the surface. However, microscopically the scratch deformation is not stable, damage occurs intermittently along the scratching path so that recurrent morphology appears on the scratched surface. Examples of such morphology are described and deformation mechanisms are discussed together with the characteristics of horizontal force during the scratching of three polymers.     

Mechanical analysis of the scratching of metals and polymers with conical indenters at moderate and large strains

Scratch test provides a convenient mean to study the surface mechanical properties and the tribological performances of materials. The representative strain of the material in this test increases with the attack angle β of the indenter and so for a conical indenter increases as its apical angle 2θ decreases. But the mechanical analysis of this test by analytic models is very intricate. First we perform a preliminary discussion of the various aspects of the problem by considering the plane strain scratching of materials by wedges. After we present the conditions of the numerical simulations of the scratch test with conical indenters with a three-dimensional (3D) finite element code. These simulations provide the scratch geometry (contact surface, elastic recovery), the plastic strain map and the volume average plastic strain, the scratch hardness and the force ratio, the apparent friction coefficient μ₀=F_t/W. So we compare the behaviour of polymeric and metallic materials in scratch test at low and large strain and relate their difference in scratching resistance to their rheological properties. Polymers develop more higher elastic strains than metals a phenomenon which is characterised at low strain by the yield stress to Young's modulus ratio ε_e=σ_y/E. For θ=70.3° where pure ploughing occurs we study the scratching of elastic perfectly plastic solids with various values of ε_e under zero friction. Some comparisons with the behaviour in indentation are performed and we study the influence of friction in the scratching of workhardened steel with the same cone. At high strain the main rheological difference is the workhardening behaviour: it is described by a power law for metals and an exponential law for polymers. For θ decreasing from 70.3 to 20° we compare the behaviour of a cold worked steel to the behavour of polycarbonate, a thermoplastic polymer: a transition from ploughing to ploughing–cutting occurs only for steel.     

Abrasion resistance of nanostructured and conventional cemented carbides

The abrasion resistance of nanostructured WC-Co composites, synthesized by a novel spray conversion method, is determined and compared with that of conventional materials. Scratching by diamond indenter and abrasion by hard (diamond), soft (zirconia) and intermediate (SiC) abrasives was investigated. The size of the scratch formed by the diamond is simply related to the hardness of the composite. Plastic deformation, fracture and fragmentation of the WC grains increase with their size. Nanoscale composites show purely ductile scratch formation. Nanocomposites possess an abrasion resistance approximately double that of the most resistant conventional material: this is a higher gain than the increase in hardness which is at most 23%. This large gain is due to a specific grain size effect on abrasion resistance in the case of diamond and SiC abrasive and to a very rapid increase of abrasion resistance with hardness in the case of the softer (SiC and ZrO₂) abrasives. The observation of the abraded surfaces of conventional composites reproduced the known mechanisms: plastic deformation and fracture of WC grains by hard abrasives; removal of binder phase and fall-out of WC by soft abrasives. Magnetic fields from the ferromagnetic Co prevent the observation of abrasion mechanisms in the very fine-structured nanocomposites.     

Wear Behavior of Thermally Sprayed Coatings under Different Loading Conditions

Wear behavior of three kinds of thermally sprayed coatings with similar hardness have been investigated under steady-state and dynamic loading tests. The steady-state loading tests were conducted on a reciprocating sliding device and the dynamic loading tests were conducted with a single-pendulum scratching device. Experimental results show that the wear mechanisms of the coatings under steady-state sliding friction testing are microcutting and microploughing, whereas the material losses under the dynamic impact scratch testing are mainly due to split cutting and fracture. Tribo-oxidization in the sliding process was found to have an influence on the wear behaviors of the thermally sprayed coatings. The results also indicated that wear resistance of thermally sprayed coatings can be correlated to hardness, plasticity, toughness, and cohesion. As far as the coatings of similar hardness were concerned, the wear resistance under steady-state loading was mainly due to the cohesion of the laminar structure of the coatings and the wear resistance under dynamic loading was mainly due to the toughness and deformation compatibility of the coatings.     

The influence of strain hardening of polymers on the piling-up phenomenon in scratch tests: Experiments and numerical modelling

The aim of this study was to relate the scratching behaviour of polymers to their mechanical properties. A thermosetting resin (CR39) and a thermoplastic polymer (PMMA) were studied using a microscratch tester allowing in situ observation of the contact area. These two polymers exhibit different elastic and viscoplastic properties, the main difference being the large ability of CR39 to strain harden, whereas PMMA softens. A spherical indenter was used to vary the level of deformation imposed on the samples. The response was initially elastic, then viscoelastic and finally mainly viscoplastic with increasing penetration of the indenter into the material. The two polymers displayed the same response for small levels of deformation, while at larger strains PMMA showed more pronounced plastic behaviour. The origin of this difference in behaviour was investigated by means of a three dimensional finite element analysis. The rheology of PMMA and CR39 was simplified and modelled by assuming linear elastic behaviour and a viscoplastic law taking into account their strain hardening capacity at high strains. Strain hardening was found to be a key factor to correctly model the material flow around the indenter. The response of the polymers was governed by the ratio between the plastic and elastic strains involved in the deformation in the contact region. In first approximation, the representative strain was imposed mainly by the geometry of the indenter, while the elastic deformation was controlled by the mechanical properties of the material, a larger strain hardening leading to a greater elastic deformation and a lower plastic strain thus a better scratch resistance of the specimen.     

Finite element modeling of the scratch response of a coated time-dependent solid

Scratch tests is one of the most efficient tests to investigate the mechanical resistance of coated and uncoated surfaces. Nevertheless, the complexity of material and interface makes difficult the comprehension of this test. For that purpose, efficient computational modeling is required. In this paper, we present a remeshing procedure specially developed for the computational modeling of scratch tests of coated materials. This procedure allows to perform scratch tests with high ratio penetration depth over layer thickness. Then, it is used to investigate the influence of the scratching velocity on the scratch behavior of a polymer substrate coated with a hard elastic coating. The substrate is considered as an elastic–viscoplastic solids and the coating follows a linear elastic behavior. First macroscopic results such as material deformation, scratch hardness and apparent friction coefficient are presented. Then the stress distribution in the film and at the coating/substrate interface are analyzed regarding the cohesive or interfacial failure of the system. A simple interfacial failure criterion is also proposed.     

Mechanical analysis of the blistering of a thin film deposited on a glassy polymer

In most cases, scratching of the surface of a polymeric glass elicits brittle behavior. A common way to improve the scratch resistance of a sensitive surface is to coat it with a thin film. Further work is required to explain the improvement in scratch resistance due to coating technique and predict the cracking in anti-scratch coatings. Moreover, the substrate/thin film adhesion must be well controlled and measurable. The present study contributes to these aims. Using a single-asperity scratching device allowing in situ observation of the scratch, the fracturing of a thin nano-composite coating deposited on a polycarbonate substrate was investigated under different conditions of temperature and scratching speed. Four types of fracture mechanisms were observed, depending on these two variables. A global energy balance model of the blistering process which is obtained for some experimental conditions permits one to determine the adhesion of the system. The adhesion can be measured by following the delaminated area (quantified by image analysis) as a function of the scratching distance during blistering. The particular case of an experimental stable blistering process was studied and the corresponding substrate/thin film adhesion was derived using the global energy balance model.     

The scanning micro-sclerometer: a new method for scratch hardness mapping

A new surface engineering research tool, called a scanning microsclerometer (SMS), has been developed. It uses nano-indentation technology and a piezoelectric transducer positioning system to generate high-precision scratch patterns on the surfaces of metals and, by monitoring the instantaneous displacement of the stylus tip, can generate scratch hardness and scratching force maps of the surface. A dual-stroke process is used. The first stroke at low load profiles the surface to establish a reference datum and the second pass, in the opposite direction and at higher load, produces the indentation scratch. Examples of micro-scratch hardness mapping experiments, using scratch spacings of 1·0 μm, on a silicon carbide-based ceramic composite are used to illustrate the capabilities of the SIVIS. Using end-on fibers in the rectangular stylus scanning area, the difference in scratch hardnesses of the fibers, the matrix, and even the thin carbon coatings in the fiber-matrix interface could be detected. The SMS was originally developed to produce scratch hardness maps, but it is also useful for conducting accurately controlled, single-point micro-machining patterns and in studies of differential material abrasion.     

Scratch tests to contribute designing performance maps of multilayer polymeric coatings

The scratching technique has gained interest in recent times because of the numerous inherent properties implied (adherence, hardness, elasticity, visco-elasticity, cohesion, etc.) during tests. Some singular mechanical responses have been noticed (cyclical slips and unsticking, degradation modes, etc.) and valued on multilayers polymeric coatings. The results allow differentiating them and illustrating the mare resistance for part. Scratch test is identified as one of the most efficient to build coating performance maps. The main purpose of our work related to the characterization of multilayers polymeric coatings, is to determine a set of experiments in order to compare their mar resistance. Experiments are made by indentation (hardness, creep, stress relaxation), scratch test (determination of the critical load), glossy reflection and wear. In this paper we describe the scratch experiments used to compare the mar resistance of the coatings. The parameters recorded are used to build a performance map relative to a specimen and this performance map is used to compare all characteristics of different multilayers coatings. Two organic systems are taken as samples to illustrate it. They are composed of three layers with a common steel sheet substrate and a common PET topcoat. The intermediary layer is soft and thick for the first product while it is hard and thin for the second one. The scratch results combined with other test results in performances maps underline the role of an intermediary layer in order finally to better design multilayer polymeric coatings.     

Scratch resistance of high performance polymers

Scratch tests were carried out on various high performance polymers, including (1) polybenzimidazole (PBI), (2) polyparaphenylene (PPP), (3) polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and (4) polyimide (PI). The scratch damage features were characterized using laser confocal and scanning electron microscope. Scratch resistance at room temperature decreased in the same order as the materials are listed above. It was attempted to correlate the scratch depth with basic mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus, tensile strength, and scratch hardness. Also, the scratch coefficient of friction was considered as a possible measure to differentiate between the various materials tested.     

The scratch hardness and friction of a soft rigid-plastic solid

The paper describes an experimental and analytical study of the normal and scratch hardnesses of a model soft rigid-plastic solid. The material known as ‘Plasticine’, a mixture of dry particles and a mineral oil, has been deformed with a range of rigid conical indentors with included angles of between 30° and 170°. The sliding velocity dependence of the computed scratch hardness and friction has been examined in the velocity range 0.19 mm/s to 7.3 m/s. Data are also described for the time dependence of the normal hardness and also the estimated rate dependence of the intrinsic flow stress. The latter values were estimated from data obtained during the upsetting of right cylinders. Three major conclusions are drawn from these data and the associated analysis. (1) A first-order account of the scratching force may be provided by adopting a model which sums the computed plastic deformation and interfacial sliding contributions to the total sliding work. This is tantamount to the adoption of the two-term non-interacting model of friction. (2) For this system during sliding, at high sliding velocities at least, the interface shear stress which defines the boundary condition is not directly related to the bulk shear stress. The interface rheological characteristics indicate an appreciable dependence on the imposed strain or strain rate. In particular, the relative contributions of the slip and stick boundary conditions appear to be a function of the imposed sliding velocity. (3) The computed normal and scratch hardness values are not simply interrelated primarily because of the evolving boundary conditions which appear to exist in the scratching experiments.     

Effect of the molecular weight on deformation states of the polystyrene film by AFM single scanning

Nanobundles patterns can be formed on the surface of most thermoplastic polymers when the atomic force microscope (AFM)‐based nanomechanical machining method is employed to scratch their surfaces. Such patterns are reviewed as three‐dimensional sine‐wave structures. In the present study, the single‐line scratch test is used firstly to study different removal states of the polystyrene (PS) polymer with different molecular weights (MWs). Effects of the scratching direction and the scratching velocity on deformation of the PS film and the state of the removed materials are also investigated. Single‐wear box test is then employed to study the possibility of forming bundle structures on PS films with different MWs. The experimental results show that the state between the tip and the sample plays a key role in the nano machining process. If the contact radius between the AFM tip and the polymer surface is larger than the chain end‐to‐end distance, it is designated as the “cutting” state that means the area of both side ridges is less than the area of the groove and materials are removed. If the contact radius is less than the chain end‐to‐end distance, it is designated as the “plowing” state that means the area of both side ridges is larger than the area of the groove and no materials are removed at all. For the perfect bundles formation on the PS film, the plowing state is ideal condition for the larger MW polymers because of the chains’ entanglement. SCANNING 35:308‐315, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A comparative investigation of the wear behavior of PTFE and PI under dry sliding and simulated sand-dust conditions

The wear behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyimide (PI) has been comparatively evaluated under dry sliding and simulated sand-dust conditions. An improved block-on-ring wear tester equipped with an attachment for simulating the sand-dust environment was used to evaluate the abrasive wear behavior of materials. The sand collected from the Yellow River of China was used to simulate the sand-dust environment, also different loads and sand-dust sizes were chosen for tribological tests. The two chosen polymers showed different wear behavior under sand-dust conditions and the wear rates of PTFE were much lower under sand-dust conditions than under dry sliding conditions. This was attributed to the formation of the tribolayer on the worn surfaces during the abrasive wear process. The sand-dust enhanced the wear resistance of PTFE, but reduced that of PI because, in contrast to PTFE, there was no tribolayer formed on the PI worn surface. The wear rate of PTFE increased under sand-dust conditions while the wear rate of PI decreased with the increase of applied load. The higher hardness of PI and fragmentation of abrasive particles under high loads accounted for the decrease in wear rate as load increased.     

FEM Modeling on Scratch Behavior of Multiphase Polymeric Systems

In-depth understanding of how the presence of dispersed particles influences the scratch behavior of multiphase polymeric systems requires extensive knowledge of the corresponding local deformation and damage mechanisms during scratching. Effects of particle type, size, and concentration on scratch behavior of multiphase polymeric systems have been investigated based on a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) modeling effort. Effect of particles location underneath the surface during scratch has also been studied. The results show that the presence of hard and soft particles can drastically affect the stress and strain field development during the scratching process. The FEM stress and strain field analysis explains the experimentally observed scratch-induced damages in multiphase polymeric systems reported in the literature.     

On the effect of substrate deformation at scratching of soft thin film composites

In the present paper scratching of soft thin film/substrate structures, using sharp conical indenters, is studied theoretically and numerically. For simplicity, but not out of necessity, the material behavior of the film as well as the substrate is described by classical elastoplasticity accounting for large deformations. Explicit material parameters are chosen in order to arrive at representative results as regards material behavior and indenter geometry. The main efforts are devoted towards an understanding of the influence from the film/substrate boundary on global scratching properties at different material combinations. Global quantities to be investigated include scratch hardness, contact area and apparent coefficient of friction at scratching. The numerical investigation is performed using the finite element method (FEM) and the numerical strategy is discussed in some detail.     

Influence of counter material on friction and wear performance of PTFE–metal binary coatings

The study presented in this paper concerns the influence of the counter materials on wear and friction performance of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reservoirs arranged in distinct patterns on coated surfaces. Al-bronze and Mo coatings were deposited on a mild steel substrate using an atmospheric plasma spray process. Three patterns of PTFE reservoirs were used. Pins, which served as counter surface, were made of three different materials. Wear tests were carried out in a pin-on-disc test rig at room temperature and under dry contact conditions. The tests were carried out at a constant pressure of 10 MPa. An average linear speed of the test disc was 0.036 m/s. The importance of appropriately matched hardness of two surfaces in sliding contact is emphasised. Due to inadequate hardness of the counter material, performance of Mo coating was adversely affected and expected beneficial action of PTFE reservoirs severely hindered. Al-bronze coating proved to be performing far better than Mo coating. Serious deterioration of Mo coating occurred faster than that for Al-bronze coating.