Mechanics of the indentation test and its use to assess the adhesion of polymeric coatings

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Abstract
The indentation test provides a simple means by which the adhesion of coatings can be qualitatively assessed. On the way to establishing a quantitative measurement of the adhesion strength of coatings and films, it is important that the mechanics of this test are clearly understood. To investigate the influence of factors such as the coating thickness, the indenter radius, and friction during the test, numerical simulations of the indentation of a typical polymeric coating, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), bonded to a rigid substrate were conducted by using the finite element method. The stress generated during the indentation test were obtained by employing an accurate constitutive model of the elastic-viscoplastic behaviour of the polymeric coating under consideration. The results of this analysis illustrate the effects of the factors mentioned above on the deformation of the coating during indentation, its confinement, and interfacial shear, and the normal, shear, and hoop stress distributions occurring during indentation. These results provide insight into the possible failure mechanisms operative during the indentation of thin coatings and the important effects of the coating thickness during such tests.

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