Micro Materials
Excellence in Nanomechanics
THE NANOTEST VANTAGE: NEXT GENERATION
NANOMECHANICAL TESTING FOR OPTIMISING
WEAR RESISTANT COATINGS
High speed machining
Turning and milling
Optimising resistance to abrasion/sliding
Optimising resistance to fatigue/fracture
Optimising resistance to fretting
Wear-resistant coating
Nanomechanical testing
for hard coating applications
1650
1650
1400
1400
1200
1200
1000
1000
800
600
400
On-load
Post scan
200
0
Depth (nm)
Performance factors such as oxidation
resistance, thermal stability and hot hardness
will need to be built in, depending upon the
function hard coatings are required to fulfill.
Coatings then need to be tested against
wear factors such as friction, wear, oxidation,
thermal cycling and adhesive interaction.
To test for all this diversity of conditions
and factors
1650 would be impossible under
normal macro-scale test conditions. But
1400
nanomechanical testing allows you to assess
1200
them all, by simulating real contact conditions,
1000
allowing you to evaluate the three primary
800
and interlinked factors influencing the
600
tool life of hard coated tools: plasticity,
400
On-load
hot hardness and fatigue fracture
Post scan
200
resistance.
0
H = 21 GPa
The savings in time and
-200
H/E = 0.08
materials are massive,
-350
0.2 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
enabling
engineers
to design
Distance
(um)
and manufacture new tools
Plasticity
Failure
rapidly and competitively.
Lower H/E
The NanoTest Vantage
can be configured with
nanoindentation, nano-scratch ,
nano-impact and nano-fretting.
H = 21 GPa
H/E = 0.08
-200
-350
0.2 20
40
60
80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Distance (um)
Plasticity
800
600
400
200
0
-200
-350
0.2 20
Failure
1400
1200
1000
800
600
On-load
Post scan
200
0
H = 29 GPa
H/E = 0.09
-200
-350
0.2 20
40
Plasticity
60
80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Distance (um)
Delamination
60
80 100 120
Distance (um
Delaminatio
Higher H/E
1650
400
40
Plasticity
Lower H/E
Depth (nm)
Real World tests
Depth (nm)
High speed machining puts huge stresses on
tools during the cutting process. Optimizing
their coating microstructure to deliver the
correct combination of hardness and toughness
will ensure that they perform – and keep on
performing. But the wide range of conditions
under which they will operate makes this a
highly complex requirement.
Nano-scratch to evaulate tribiological
properties
Depth (nm)
Optimising coatings through rapid,
rigorous testing
Failure
Higher H/E
Nano-scratch tests on Ti-Si-N nanocomposite coating and
microscopic images of scratch tracks taken with the integrated
NanoTest high resolution microscope. Their mechanical
properties were determined by nanoindentation and their
tribological properties were measured by nanoscratch testing.
The nanoindentation showed that harder nanocomposites
exhibited higher ratios of hardness to modulus (H/E) and that
the H/E value clearly influences the nanoscratch behaviour as
shown.
Investigation of hard coatings utilising the wide
load range of the NanoTest Advantage
Carbide tool life
0.8
Plasticity index (dimensionless)
10000
9000
8000
Indenter penetration (nm)
A combination of hardness and toughness
is required for severe mechanical contact
applications. Even subtle changes to the
percentage binder and carbide grain size
in cemented carbides can have a dramatic
influence on tool life. It is the sub-surface
mechanical properties that control the fatigue
performance under highly loaded applications,
such as high performance stamping. Therefore
microindentation is used to determine the
mechanical properties of different cemented
carbides. The figure below shows how the
plasticity index (the ratio of plastic energy
to total energy in indentation) varies with
indentation load. There is an excellent
correlation between the microindentation
data and wear rate. Lower plasticity results in
chipping in wear tests and higher wear rate.
0.75
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
0.7
1000
0
2N
1N
0.5N
0.65
0
1
2
3
4
Load (N)
5
6
0
7
Variation in plasticity with load for commercial
grades of WC-Co
120
180
Time (s)
240
300
360
7000
On-load probe depth
6000
7500
5000
AITiN
AICrN
TiAIN
2500
5000
4000
0
100
200
300
400
Scan distance (microns)
500
2N
1N
0.5N
3000
2000
1000
0
0
60
Differences in impact resistance of high performance nano
multi layered coatings on carbide tools for high speed
machining, courtesy of CEROC/Polytech Tours.
10000
On-load probe depth (nm)
Nanomultilayered PVD coating on WC-Co
Nanomultilayered CVD coating on WC-Co
2000
600
Ramped load scratches of AlTiN, AlCrN and TiAlN PVD hard
coatings on carbide tools, with a 25 µm scratch probe.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Wear cycles
7
8
9
10
Repetitive constant load scratch tests for investigating wear on
annealed AlTiN PVD hard coating.
www.micromaterials.co.uk
NanoTest Vantage: the user benefits
High temperature measurements
Modular design to grow your research options
Allows the testing of samples at temperatures up to
750°C, allowing evaluation of true ‘in-service’ mechanical
properties.
The NanoTest Vantage is a fully modular system that allows
the user to configure the system to meet their individual
needs and can be expanded at a later date to include
further modules.
A simplified interface, while allowing full flexibility, makes
the software easier to navigate and more intuitive - making
it ideal for both new and inexperienced users.
Industry-leading stability
The system has a dedicated environmental enclosure and
a high thermal mass frame, ensuring ultimate instrument
stability.
High automatic throughput
The automatic scheduling facility allows maximum
throughput without the need for user intervention, enabling
the equipment to be used 24/7.
Unrivalled flexibility
The NanoTest Vantage software offers a wide range of
selectable parameters, allowing the user optimum flexibility
of experiment design.
Purpose-designed for experiments
A large working area between the motor stage and the
indenter allows you to set up custom experiments.
Comprehensive after sales service & care
Our strong customer after sale care includes direct access
to our expert engineering team who can help with your
experiment design and custom software setup.
Peer-collaboration and knowledge exchange
Many of our testing modules have been developed in
response to the needs of our customers. You too can opt to
be part of this collaborative approach.
Cutting edge technology for enhanced research
We apply the very latest and most accurate technology in
our NanoTest Systems which allows you to break through
into new and pioneering research.
Patented nano-impact and fatigue testing
This technique helps you design better materials or
coatings for erosive protection, cutting tool, engine and
other applications.
Liquid cell facility
Allows the testing of a sample fully immersed in a fluid
without indenter buoyancy problems associated with
vertical loaded indentation.
Application/material
NanoTest advantages - hard coatings
High speed
machining
Suite of relevant nano-/micro- test
techniques utilising high strain rates and
high temperatures
Turning and milling
Machine tool testing at real cutting
temperatures, including repeated contact
Wide load range 10 µN - 20N
Optimising resistance
to abrasion/sliding
Nano-scratch module. Friction and wear
testing at different temperatures and in
lubricants.
With our micro and nano load heads you have a wide
range of loads to choose from which adds to the flexibility
of use for the system.
Optimising resistance
to fatigue/fracture
Patented nano-impact and contact fatigue
module
Optimising resistance
to fretting
Unique nano-fretting module
Wear-resistant
coatings
A range of complementary tools for
optimisation of coating processes:
substrate-independent hardness,
modulus, wear resistance, impact
resistance – all at service temperatures
Micro Materials
Excellence in Nanomechanics
www.micromaterials.co.uk
Willow House, Yale Business Village,
Ellice Way, Wrexham LL13 7YL UK.
Tel: +44 1978 261615
Fax: +44 1978 356966
info@micromaterials.co.uk
Load / partial-unload technique
This enables users to rapidly build up a complete profile of
the variation of hardness and modulus with depth.
FIND OUT THE FULL STORY
This has been a brief appraisal of the NanoTest
Vantage’s operating capabilities. To find out how one of
the new generation models could transform your testing
capabilities, get in touch and we can provide a detailed
analysis of how it could benefit your operation.
To see the NanoTest Vantage in action (either at our UK
headquarters, through one of our worldwide distributors
or through a videolink) running test experiments that
have relevance to you, again, just get in touch and we
will do the rest.
© Micro Materials Ltd. Design by Genesis Marketing.
User friendly software