In‐Situ Optical Scratch Analysis and Correlation Between Tangential Force and Scratch Behavior of Thermoplastic Injection Molded Plates

Summary The Universal Surface Tester offers the possibility to perform in‐situ scratch tests while simultaneously measuring the tangential force created by micro friction between indenter and surface. With this setup, plane non‐structured injection molded plates of brittle and ductile thermoplastics were scratched using different velocities and normal loads. During scratching the movement and interaction between different indenters (diamond pyramid and steel spheres) and polymer surfaces were observed with an optical microscope. The microscope images were used to analyze the deformation response and detect any irregularities in the process. The fluctuations in tangential force could be correlated to chipping and different scratch mechanisms could be identified for the ductile and brittle thermoplastics.