Phenomenological Analysis of Indentation Diagrams for Topocomposites on a Compliant Substrate

A qualitative analysis of the experimental indentation diagrams for topocomposites has been conducted. These diagrams are unloading curves with linear and nonlinear sections at the end of the unloading curve and characterize the interfacial delamination along the coating–substrate interface. It has been shown that the exfoliation in both topocomposites results in a linear relationship between the load and the indentation depth. The width of the hysteresis loops confirms the higher damping capacity of an aluminum nitride coating as compared with a titanium nitride coating. The relevance of studying the effect of the coating structure on the deformation behavior and damage to topocomposites at high contact pressures is shown.