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Numerical simulation of TiN thin films fracture - cohesive elements and XFEM method case study

K. Perzynski 1 , ∗ , G. Cios 2 , P. Bała 2 , L. Madej 1

1 Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland 2 Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland

∗ kperzyns@agh.edu.pl

Keywords: TiN thin film, nanoindentation, finite element modelling, cohesive zones, XFEM

Numerical simulation of fracture development in thin films deposited by the Pulsed Laser Depo sition (PLD) method is the main goal of the work. The developed numerical fracture initiation and propagation model is based on two approaches: cohesive elements [1] and XFEM method [2]. TiN thin films deposited on several substrates were selected as a case study for the current investi gation. All the samples were examined by nanoindentation test and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate local material properties. In addition, a finite element method supported by inverse analysis was used to convert the measured load-displacement values from nanoindentation into a stress-strain curve for further numerical simulations. The fracture initiation and propagation parameters [3] for both mentioned approaches were also determined with the inverse analysis, considering the geometrical aspects of the film after loading in the goal function. The proposed approach demonstrates the ability to predict local inhomogeneities that can affect the overall mechanical properties of thin films as a result of fracture formation. References [1] Lofaj F., Németh D. (2017). Multiple cohesive cracking during nanoindentation in a hard W-C coating/steel substrate system by FEM. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 37, 4379–4388. [2] Deng J., Liao N., Zhang M., Xue W. (2019). Extended finite element analysis of plastic and fracture behaviors of SiC-based multi-layer thin films system. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 161–162, 105017. [3] Jiang Z. T., Li Y. G., Lei M. K. (2021) An inverse problem in estimating fracture toughness of TiAlN thin films by finite element method based on nanoindentation morphology. Vacuum, 192, 110458.

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