Open Access

ARTICLE

Indentation Load-Displacement Relations for the Spherical Indentation of Elastic Film/Substrate Structures

by S. N.V.R.K. Kurapati¹, Y. C. Lu¹, F. Yang²

1 Dept of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, U.S.A
2 Dept of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, U.S.A

Computers, Materials & Continua 2010, 20(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmc.2010.020.001

Abstract

The spherical indentation of elastic film /substrate structures is analyzed using the finite element method. The load-displacement curves of the film /substrate structures of various configurations are obtained and analyzed. A generalized power law relation is established, which can be used to analyze the load-displacement curve of elastic film /substrate systems under spherical indentations. The indentation load is dependent on the modulus ratio of the film to the substrate and film thickness. A semi-analytical expression for the power of the power law relation is also obtained as a function of the normalized film thickness and normalized film modulus, which can be used to determine the modulus of the film from a spherical indentation test.

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