Fundamental Rheological Modeling and Failure of Multi-Layered Nanostructured Materials

The principal goal of the paper is to reveal whither principal Newton’s fundamentals may give reliable explanations at examining fracture mechanics of multi-layered nanostructured coatings and composites or they should be corrected with new theories. The core of principal Newton’s fundamentals was combined with rheological modeling for describing stress-deformations of nanostructured coatings. Alumina-based or diamonds-containing composites were studied by in-situ cases. The use of indentation at micro and nanoscales with rheological models as a method for determining the fracture of multi-layered brittle coatings is described. Rheological behavior of the model under localized loading and different initial stress and deformation states was studied. Advantage of the method revealed here is that the only quantity to be measured is a deformation or a fracture load. By measuring this minimum load (and that is the only quantity that must be measured) an accurate estimate of fracture may easily be made with application of rheological modeling. Finally, discussion concerned about a scale at which rheological modeling may be effectively applied to examine the fracture mechanics of nanostructured coatings and composites.Copyright © 2004 by ASME