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Updated: Sep 10, 2025
08:21
Quantitative Hardness Measurement by Instrumented AFM-indentation
Published on: November 22, 2016
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Characterization of Hard Coatings Using Acoustic Emission
Ivana Sára Škrobáková1, Peter Gogola1, Marián Palcut1
1Institute of Materials Science, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Ulica Jána Bottu 25, 917 24 Trnava, Slovakia.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 28, 2025
Summary
Acoustic emission (AE) testing objectively quantifies physical vapor deposited (PVD) coating damage during indentation. Increased delamination exponentially boosts AE signal energy, reducing reliance on scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Non-Destructive Testing
Background:
- Acoustic emission (AE) is a non-destructive testing method with broad applications.
- Physical vapor deposited (PVD) coatings require robust evaluation of their functional properties and damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the capability of AE testing in studying PVD coating functional properties.
- To objectively classify coating damage during indentation testing by quantifying imprint features.
Main Methods:
- Systematic recording of AE response across nine sample conditions and 27 imprints.
- Correlation analysis between numerical values from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations and AE signal characteristics.
Main Results:
- An exponential increase in AE signal energy was observed with an increasing delaminated coating area.
- Identified correlations between SEM-derived values and AE signal characteristics.
Conclusions:
- AE analysis offers a more objective and potentially faster alternative to SEM-based evaluation for PVD coatings.
- AE testing can accelerate systematic research and provides practical application insights for PVD coatings.
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