Nanoindentation Study of Mechanical Properties of Diamond Like Carbon Coatings

Nanoindentation is a depth sensing indentation technique to probe the mechanical properties of small volume. In this contribution, the results of nanoindentation response of diamond like carbon (PLC) coatings on SiAlON ceramics are presented. Indentation measurements were performed with an applied load of 3 mN in order to examine the pressure induced deformation of the structure. The PLC coated SiAlON ceramics exhibited increased elastic modulus and hardness compared to uncoated samples. The other mechanical parameters estimated from nanoindentation measurements are elastic recovery, stiffness and plastic deformation energy