Identifying the elastoplastic properties of ductile film on hard substrate by nanoindentation

Nanoindentation analysis was proposed on a ductile film/hard substrate system to extract the elastoplastic properties of thin film. Based on the dimensional analysis method (DAM), relationships between the indentation responses and film/substrate elastoplastic properties were established. Reverse analysis algorithms were proposed by introducing the substrate effects, which could provide sufficient information at different indentation depths to solve the dimensional equations. Numerical and instrumental indentations were carried out on a titanium film/alumina ceramic substrate system to verify the proposed reverse method, by which the elastic modulus, yield stress and work hardening exponent of the film were successfully obtained. •Dimensional equations were established by introducing varying degree of substrate effects.•Reverse analysis shows a high accuracy for using loading segments.•Proposed algorithm yields high accuracy at a moderate indentation depth.