Strain rate sensitivity behaviour of the thin films of Al, Al-Si and nanocomposite Al-Si-N: A comparative study

A comparative study on the strain rate sensitivity behaviour of magnetron sputtered Al, Al-Si and Al-Si-N thin film deposited on stainless steel 304 substrate was carried out. Strain rate sensitivity and activation volume can provide a clear picture regarding the time dependent deformation mechanisms taking place in a material. The variation of the two key parameters, strain rate sensitivity and activation volume were investigated for the films of metal Al, metal alloy Al-Si and Al-Si-N nanocomposite coatings. As strain rate have a significant impact on the creep phenomenon and different materials respond differently when subjected to varying strain rates, a brief study on the creep behaviour is also presented here. The mechanical behaviour of the three different coatings was correlated with their structural properties for a deeper insight into the microstructural dependent dynamic mechanical behaviour