Micropitting is a form of surface contact fatigue encounteredin bearingsa nd gears, under lubricating conditions, which lead to their premature failure. All gears are susceptible to micropitting, including spur, helical and bevel. Micropitting can occur with all heatt reatmentsa ppliedt o gearsa nd with both, synthetica nd mineral lubricants. It can occur after a relatively short period of operation and, after a certain number of cycles,g earsn eedt o be replacedd ue to the increasedn oisea nd vibrations causedb y the deviations of the tooth profile. Continuing operation of affected gears can lead to a catastrophic type of failure (i. e., tooth breakage). These considerations explain the increasing current interest in micropitting. It has been reported that micropitting in bearings is associated with a specific microstructural transformation in steel, i. e. martensite decay. However, to the authoes knowledge, this transformation has not been reported in gears. In the present work, extensive metallurgical investigations have been carried out and they revealed that the same transformation occurs in gears. The aim of this project was to describe the mechanism of micropitting by taking into account the influence of several controlling factors such as, material, surface finish, lubricant, load, temperature,s peeda nd, slide-to-roll ratio. Their influence is assessed with a fractional factorial experimentadl esign.S everaln on-destructivete chniquesh ave been used in order to monitor the specimen condition during and after running, such as X-ray diffraction, optical profilometry, light microscopy. The mechanical properties of the products of martensite decay, known as dark etching regions, white etching bands and butterflies are highly relevant to the fatigue behaviour of the steel. Nanoindentation and AFM techniquesh aveb eenu sedt o determinet hesep roperties. A micropitting mechanism correlated with the mechanism of martensite decay in gears is suggestedb asedo n thesea nalyses.

We present a periodic technique for measuring the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of thin samples simultaneously. In samples of this type, temperature measurements must be made across the sample faces and are therefore subject to large error due to the interface resistance between the temperature sensor and the sample. The technique uses measurements of the amplitude and phase of the periodic temperature across both a reference sample and the unknown material at several different frequencies. Modeling of the heat flow in the sample allows the simultaneous determination of the thermal parameters of the sample as well as the interface resistance. Data will be presented for standard materials to show the viability of the technique.

No description available.

This thesis is focused on gaining a better knowledge of how to design and test Phillips screwdriver bits. Wear is the primary concern in applications where the bit is used in a power driver. Such applications include drywalling, decking and other construction and home projects. To pursue an optimal design, designers must have an understanding how the bit geometry changes with wear. To make use of the geometrical data, the designer must also have an understanding of the fundamentals of the bit/screw surface contact and its effect on force distribution. This thesis focuses on three areas. First, understanding how the tool and bit are used, and what factors contribute to bit wear. With this understanding, a test rig has been designed to emulate typical users and, in doing so, produce the factors that cause wear. Second, there must be a means to analyze geometric changes in the bit as it wears. A method for doing this was developed and demonstrated for a Phillips bit, but the process can be applied to other bits. Finally, the fundamentals of surface contact must be understood in order to apply the geometrical information obtained to improved bit design. / Master of Science

Für einen sicheren und zuverlässigen Betrieb des gesamten Elektroenergieversorgungs-systems ist der langzeitstabile und möglichst wartungsfreie oder wartungsarme Betrieb jeder einzelnen Komponente wichtig. Eine Wartung aller stromführenden Verbindungen ist aufgrund der Anzahl und ihrer Zugänglichkeit nicht möglich. Eine Großzahl der Verbindungen wird deshalb montiert und muss über die geforderte Lebensdauer der Anlagen von mehreren Jahrzehnten wartungsfrei funktionieren. Um dies gewährleisten zu können, müssen die richtigen Leiter- und Beschichtungswerkstoffe gewählt, eine langzeitstabile Konstruktion vorhanden, die richtige Montage durchgeführt und eine gesicherte Grenztemperatur für die gewünschte Lebensdauer unter Berücksichtigung der Umgebungsbedingungen bekannt sein. In dieser Arbeit werden stromführende Verbindungen betrachtet, die keinen Lichtbogen führen müssen. Es werden die wichtigsten Leiter- und Beschichtungswerkstoffe, die Kontaktphysik insbesondere von Flächenkontakten, der Zusammenhang zwischen mechanischem und elektrischem Kontaktverhalten, die Physik der Alterung und die Wirkung auf das Langzeitverhalten bei unterschiedlichen Einsatz- und Umgebungsbedingungen betrachtet. Basierend auf diesen Erkenntnissen werden genormte Prüfverfahren bewertet und Ansätze zum Weiterentwickeln vorgestellt. Die Erkenntnisse dieser Arbeit basieren auf Ergebnissen, die in 40 Jahren Forschung an der TU Dresden erarbeitet wurden. Als Modellgeometrie für die grundlegenden experimentellen Untersuchungen wurden insbesondere Schrauben¬verbindungen mit Stromschienen verwendet, da diese Verbindungsart eine der am häufigsten verwendeten ist und millionenfach im Elektroenergieversorgungssystem eingesetzt wird.:1 Einleitung 2 Funktion und Anforderung an stromführende Verbindungen 3 Kontaktwerkstoffe 3.1 Leiter 3.2 Beschichten von Leitern 4 Kontaktverhalten von Schraubenverbindungen 4.1 Physikalische Grundlagen zum Flächenkontakt 4.2 Schraubenverbindung mit Stromschienen 4.2.1 Mechanisches Kontaktverhalten 4.2.2 Elektrisches Kontaktverhalten 4.2.3 Zusammenhang elektrisches und mechanisches Kontaktverhalten 4.2.4 Montage stromführender Verbindungen 4.2.5 Verallgemeinern der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse 5 Langzeitverhalten von Schraubenverbindungen 5.1 Alterungsmechanismen 5.1.1 Kraftabbau 5.1.2 Diffusion 5.1.3 Chemische Reaktionen 5.1.4 Reibverschleiß 5.1.5 Elektromigration 5.2 Mathematische Ansätze zum Beschreiben der Alterung 5.3 Experimentell ermittelte Lebensdauerkennlinien 5.3.1 Typische Lebensdauerkennlinie von Schraubenverbindungen 5.3.2 Leiterwerkstoffe - Aluminium, Kupfer und deren Legierungen 5.3.3 Beschichtungswerkstoffe - Silber, Nickel, Zinn 6 Prüfverfahren 7 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick 8 Literaturverzeichnis 9 Abbildungsverzeichnis 10 Tabellenverzeichnis / For a safe and reliable operation of the electric power supply system, the long-term stable and low-maintenance or maintenance-free operation of each component is important. Maintenance of all current-carrying joints is not possible due to their number and accessibility. A large number of joints is installed and must operate during the required life-time of the system of several decades maintenance-free. In order to warrant this, the appropriate conductor and coating material must be selected, a long-term stable construction design must be provided, the correct installation must be guaranteed, and a safe temperature limit for the desired life-time must be known according to the ambient conditions. In this work, non-arcing current-carrying joints are investigated. It considers the most important conductor and coating materials, the physics of surface contacts, the relationship between mechanical and electrical contact behavior, the physics of aging and the effects on the long-term behavior under different conditions of use and environmental conditions. Based on these scientific findings, standardized test methods are evaluated and approaches for further development are presented. The findings of this work are based on the results obtained in 40 years of research at the TU Dresden. As a model geometry for the basic experimental investigations bolted joints with bus bars are used, because this type of joint is one of the most commonly used millions of times in the electric power supply system.:1 Einleitung 2 Funktion und Anforderung an stromführende Verbindungen 3 Kontaktwerkstoffe 3.1 Leiter 3.2 Beschichten von Leitern 4 Kontaktverhalten von Schraubenverbindungen 4.1 Physikalische Grundlagen zum Flächenkontakt 4.2 Schraubenverbindung mit Stromschienen 4.2.1 Mechanisches Kontaktverhalten 4.2.2 Elektrisches Kontaktverhalten 4.2.3 Zusammenhang elektrisches und mechanisches Kontaktverhalten 4.2.4 Montage stromführender Verbindungen 4.2.5 Verallgemeinern der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse 5 Langzeitverhalten von Schraubenverbindungen 5.1 Alterungsmechanismen 5.1.1 Kraftabbau 5.1.2 Diffusion 5.1.3 Chemische Reaktionen 5.1.4 Reibverschleiß 5.1.5 Elektromigration 5.2 Mathematische Ansätze zum Beschreiben der Alterung 5.3 Experimentell ermittelte Lebensdauerkennlinien 5.3.1 Typische Lebensdauerkennlinie von Schraubenverbindungen 5.3.2 Leiterwerkstoffe - Aluminium, Kupfer und deren Legierungen 5.3.3 Beschichtungswerkstoffe - Silber, Nickel, Zinn 6 Prüfverfahren 7 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick 8 Literaturverzeichnis 9 Abbildungsverzeichnis 10 Tabellenverzeichnis

Mit der zunehmenden Elektrifizierung von Fahrzeugen wächst das Bedürfnis nach zuverlässigen stromführenden Verbindungen. Im Elektroenergieversorgungsnetz sowie im Bordnetz von Elektrofahrzeugen treffen beim stromführenden Verbinden verschiedener Komponenten im Kontakt häufig unterschiedliche Leiter- oder Beschichtungswerkstoffe aufeinander. Dabei wird Aluminium aufgrund seiner geringen Dichte und relativ hohen elektrischen Leitfähigkeit sowie der Verfügbarkeit und des geringeren Preises gegen-über Kupfer bevorzugt eingesetzt. Für Anwender ist dieser Leichtbauwerkstoff hinsichtlich des Kontakt- und Langzeitverhaltens herausfordernd. In der Vergangenheit wurden intermetallische Phasen zwischen Aluminium und Silber sowie zwischen Aluminium und Kupfer als vorrangige Ursache für auftretende Ausfälle von nicht stoffschlüssigen, stromführenden Verbindungen mit den entsprechenden Werkstoffkombinationen untersucht. Der dabei festgestellte Anstieg des Widerstands lässt sich jedoch nicht vollständig durch die wachsenden Phasen erklären. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit besteht deshalb darin, den Einfluss des Sauerstoffs auf die Alterung von stromführenden Bimetall-Verbindungen zu quantifizieren. Es wurden Schraubenverbindungen mit Stromschienen der Werkstoffkombinationen Ag-Al, Al-Cu, Sn-Al und Ni-Al untersucht. Durch Versuchsreihen in atmosphärischer Luft und in einer N2-Atmosphäre konnten für die jeweilige Werkstoffkombination Unterschiede im Langzeitverhalten aufgezeigt werden, die durch den von außen in die Verbindung eindringenden Sauerstoff entstehen. Die ablaufenden Prozesse unterscheiden sich dabei je nach Werkstoffkombination. Sauerstoff, der nach dem Fügen in die Kontaktebene gelangt, ist bei den Ag-Al- und Al-Cu-Verbindungen ausschlaggebend für das Erhöhen des Verbindungswiderstands. Im Gegensatz dazu reagiert in den Verbindungen mit Kontakten zwischen Zinn und Aluminium der bereits vor dem Fügen auf den Kontaktpartnern vorhandene Sauerstoff zu Al2O3. An den Verbindungen mit Kontakten zwischen Nickel und Alumini-um konnte kein Einfluss des Sauerstoffs festgestellt werden. Neben dem Flächenkontakt der Schraubenverbindung mit Stromschienen wurde der Punktkontakt in einer Modell-Verbindung untersucht. An diesem konnten aufgrund der nahezu konstanten Flächenpressung in der Kontaktebene Berechnungsmodelle für das Langzeitverhalten von Ag-Al- und Al-Cu-Verbindungen aufgestellt werden. Metallographische Untersuchungen wurden an Verbindungen mit Kontakten zwischen Silber und Aluminium sowie Zinn und Aluminium durchgeführt, um die elektrisch bestimmten Phänomene näher zu charakterisieren. Auf dem Kontaktpartner aus Aluminium einer gealterten Verbindung zwischen Zinn und Aluminium konnte mittels Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie eine Al2O3-Schicht sichtbar gemacht werden. Ist eine stromführende Verbindung gasdicht, kann dies bei den untersuchten Werkstoffkombinationen einen großen Einfluss auf das Langzeitverhalten haben. Die Ergebnisse bestehender Berechnungsmodelle zur Gasdichtigkeit von Verbindungen wurden mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen verglichen. Als Neuerung wurde ein zusätzliches Kriterium eingeführt, das es ermöglicht, nach 24 h bei Belastungstemperatur zu beurteilen, ob eine stromführende Verbindung gasdicht ist. Anwender aus der Elektroenergie-versorgung und der Automobilindustrie können so nach einer kurzen Belastungsdauer Aussagen zur Langzeitstabilität einer Verbindung ableiten.:1 Einleitung 2 Kontakt- und Langzeitverhalten stromführender Verbindungen 2.1 Allgemeine Kontakttheorie 2.2 Bilden der Mikrokontakte, Berechnen des Kontaktwiderstands 2.3 Alterung stromführender Verbindungen 2.3.1 Kraftabbau 2.3.2 Interdiffusion 2.3.3 Chemische Reaktionen 2.3.4 Weitere Einflüsse 3 Reaktionen zwischen Sauerstoff und Metallen der Elektroenergietechnik 3.1 Oxidation der Oberfläche 3.2 Umbilden von Oxiden an der Oberfläche 3.3 Innere Oxidation 3.4 Reaktionsprodukte des Sauerstoffs mit verschiedenen Metallen 3.4.1 Aluminium 3.4.2 Zinn 3.4.3 Nickel 3.4.4 Silber 3.4.5 Kupfer 3.5 Eindringen des Sauerstoffs 3.5.1 Diffusion von Sauerstoff 3.5.1.1 Modell nach Izmailov 3.5.1.2 Modell nach Dzektser 3.5.2 Berechnen der Gasdichtigkeit 4 Präzisierung der Aufgabenstellung 5 Langzeitversuche an Bimetall-Verbindungen 5.1 Versuchsaufbau und Durchführung 5.1.1 Punktkontakt 5.1.2 Flächenkontakt - Schraubenverbindungen mit Stromschienen 5.2 Versuchsergebnisse im System Ag-Al 5.2.1 Versuche an versilberten Aluminiumblechen 5.2.2 Punktkontakt mit zwei versilberten Kontaktpartnern aus Aluminium 5.2.3 Punktkontakt zwischen einem versilberten Kontaktpartner und einem blanken Kontaktpartner aus Aluminium 5.2.4 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen mit versilberten und blanken Stromschienen aus Aluminium 5.2.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.2.5.1 Einfluss der IMP 5.2.5.2 Einfluss des Sauerstoffs 5.3 Versuchsergebnisse im System Sn-Al 5.3.1 Punktkontakt mit einem verzinnten Kontaktpartner aus Kupfer und einem blanken Kontaktpartner aus Aluminium 5.3.2 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen zwischen verzinnten und blanken Stromschienen aus Aluminium 5.3.3 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.3.3.1 Einfluss der Vorbehandlung 5.3.3.2 Einfluss des Sauerstoffs aus der Umgebungsluft 5.3.3.3 Versagen der Oxidschicht 5.4 Versuchsergebnisse im System Ni-Al 5.4.1 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen zwischen vernickelten und blanken Stromschienen aus Aluminium 5.4.2 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.5 Versuchsergebnisse im System Al-Cu 5.5.1 Punktkontakt mit einem Kontaktpartner aus Kupfer und einem aus Aluminium 5.5.2 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen zwischen Stromschienen aus Aluminium und Kupfer 5.5.3 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.5.3.1 Einfluss der IMP 5.5.3.2 Einfluss des Sauerstoffs aus der Umgebungsluft 5.5.3.3 Einfluss der thermischen Dehnung 5.5.3.4 Einfluss der Montageparameter 6 Modellbildung zur Wirkung von Oxidschichten 6.1 Elektrischer Widerstand bei Alterung durch Oxidation 6.1.1 Punktkontakte zwischen Silber und Aluminium 6.1.2 Punktkontakte zwischen Kupfer und Aluminium 6.2 Gasdichtigkeit der untersuchten Verbindungen 7 Zusammenfassung 8 Ausblick 9 Verzeichnisse 10 Anhang / With the increasing electrification of vehicles, the demand for reliable current-carrying connections grows. In the electrical power grid as well as in the electric grid of an electric vehicle, different material combinations occur frequently, when current-carrying connections are joined. Aluminum is commonly applied due to its lightweight proper-ties and its price advantage compared to copper. For users, this lightweight material is challenging regarding its contact and long-term behavior. In the past, intermetallic compounds between aluminum and silver as well as between aluminum and copper have been investigated as possible cause for the emerging failures of firmly bonded, force-fitted, and force-form-fitted current-carrying connections. The witnessed rise in resistance cannot be explained completely by the growing intermetallic phases. Therefore, the goal of this work is to quantify the influence of oxygen on the aging of bimetallic connections. Bolted joints with busbars of the material combinations Ag-Al, Al-Cu, Sn-Al and Ni-Al were examined. Through test series in atmospheric air and in a N2-atmosphere, differences in the long-term behavior could be shown that result from oxygen entering into the contact interface from the outside. The processes taking place differ depending on the material combination. Oxygen entering into the connection after the joining is responsible for the rise in resistance in Ag-Al- and Al-Cu-connections. In contrast, the oxygen which is already present in the contact interface before the joining reacts to Al2O3 in connections between tin and aluminum. No influence of the oxygen was detected in connections between nickel and aluminum. Beside the flat surface contacts of the bolted joints with busbars, a model geometry with a point contact was examined. Due to the uniform surface pressure over the entire contact surface, a calculation model of the long-term behavior for Ag-Al- and Al-Cu-connections was set up based on these connections. Metallographic investigations were performed on Ag-Al- and Sn-Al-connections for further analysis of the electrically measured phenomena. An Al2O3-layer was visualized by transmission electron microscopy on the aluminum contact member of an aged connection between tin and aluminum. If a current-carrying connection of the examined material combinations is joined in a gas-tight manner, it can have a great effect on the long-term behavior. The results of existing calculation models on gas-tightness were compared to the experimental results. In addition, a novel criterion was introduced. It enables to evaluate after 24 h at loading temperature whether a current-carrying connections is gas-tight. Users in the electrical power system and the automotive industry can thereby derive predictions on a connection’s long-term stability after a short loading time.:1 Einleitung 2 Kontakt- und Langzeitverhalten stromführender Verbindungen 2.1 Allgemeine Kontakttheorie 2.2 Bilden der Mikrokontakte, Berechnen des Kontaktwiderstands 2.3 Alterung stromführender Verbindungen 2.3.1 Kraftabbau 2.3.2 Interdiffusion 2.3.3 Chemische Reaktionen 2.3.4 Weitere Einflüsse 3 Reaktionen zwischen Sauerstoff und Metallen der Elektroenergietechnik 3.1 Oxidation der Oberfläche 3.2 Umbilden von Oxiden an der Oberfläche 3.3 Innere Oxidation 3.4 Reaktionsprodukte des Sauerstoffs mit verschiedenen Metallen 3.4.1 Aluminium 3.4.2 Zinn 3.4.3 Nickel 3.4.4 Silber 3.4.5 Kupfer 3.5 Eindringen des Sauerstoffs 3.5.1 Diffusion von Sauerstoff 3.5.1.1 Modell nach Izmailov 3.5.1.2 Modell nach Dzektser 3.5.2 Berechnen der Gasdichtigkeit 4 Präzisierung der Aufgabenstellung 5 Langzeitversuche an Bimetall-Verbindungen 5.1 Versuchsaufbau und Durchführung 5.1.1 Punktkontakt 5.1.2 Flächenkontakt - Schraubenverbindungen mit Stromschienen 5.2 Versuchsergebnisse im System Ag-Al 5.2.1 Versuche an versilberten Aluminiumblechen 5.2.2 Punktkontakt mit zwei versilberten Kontaktpartnern aus Aluminium 5.2.3 Punktkontakt zwischen einem versilberten Kontaktpartner und einem blanken Kontaktpartner aus Aluminium 5.2.4 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen mit versilberten und blanken Stromschienen aus Aluminium 5.2.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.2.5.1 Einfluss der IMP 5.2.5.2 Einfluss des Sauerstoffs 5.3 Versuchsergebnisse im System Sn-Al 5.3.1 Punktkontakt mit einem verzinnten Kontaktpartner aus Kupfer und einem blanken Kontaktpartner aus Aluminium 5.3.2 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen zwischen verzinnten und blanken Stromschienen aus Aluminium 5.3.3 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.3.3.1 Einfluss der Vorbehandlung 5.3.3.2 Einfluss des Sauerstoffs aus der Umgebungsluft 5.3.3.3 Versagen der Oxidschicht 5.4 Versuchsergebnisse im System Ni-Al 5.4.1 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen zwischen vernickelten und blanken Stromschienen aus Aluminium 5.4.2 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.5 Versuchsergebnisse im System Al-Cu 5.5.1 Punktkontakt mit einem Kontaktpartner aus Kupfer und einem aus Aluminium 5.5.2 Flächenkontakt – Schraubenverbindungen zwischen Stromschienen aus Aluminium und Kupfer 5.5.3 Diskussion der Ergebnisse 5.5.3.1 Einfluss der IMP 5.5.3.2 Einfluss des Sauerstoffs aus der Umgebungsluft 5.5.3.3 Einfluss der thermischen Dehnung 5.5.3.4 Einfluss der Montageparameter 6 Modellbildung zur Wirkung von Oxidschichten 6.1 Elektrischer Widerstand bei Alterung durch Oxidation 6.1.1 Punktkontakte zwischen Silber und Aluminium 6.1.2 Punktkontakte zwischen Kupfer und Aluminium 6.2 Gasdichtigkeit der untersuchten Verbindungen 7 Zusammenfassung 8 Ausblick 9 Verzeichnisse 10 Anhang

No description available.

With the amalgamation of hard coating in cutting tools industries for three decades now, a stage with proven performance has been reached. Today, nearly 40% of all cutting tools used in machining applications are sheltered with coatings. Coatings have proven to dramatically improve wear resistance, increase tool life and enable use at higher speed. Over the years TiN, TiAlN and TiC have emerged as potential materials to coat machining tools. Chemical vapor deposition was the first technology to be used to deposit these coatings followed by physical vapor deposition. Currently, extensive use is being made of cathodic arc evaporation and sputtering for coatings components. The principal limiting factor in the performance of these cutting tools lies in their failure due to the brittleness of these coatings. These hard coatings, usually coated on soft steel substrates, are subjected to contact damage during service. This contact damage is driven by mismatch strain between the elastically deforming film on a plastically deforming substrate. Understanding of the contact damage is the key parameter for improvement in the coating design. Contact damage involves initiation of cracks and subsequent propagation within coating. Multiple cracking modes are seen in nitride coatings on soft substrate and mutual interaction of cracks may lead to spallation of the coating, exposing the substrate to extreme service conditions. Hence visualization of subsurface crack trajectories facilitates the classification of benign and catastrophic modes of failure, which consequently allows us to tailor the coating architecture to eliminate catastrophic failure. Multilayers have shown to perform better then monolayer coatings. In multilayer coatings, application specific particular properties can be engineered by alternately stack-ing suitable layers. The multilayer utilizes benefits of interfaces by crack deflection, crack blunting and desirable transition in residual stress across the interface. Hence, designing interfaces is the key parameter in the multilayer coating. However, very few studies exist that describe experimental visualization of deformation modes in multilayer coatings with different types of interfaces, e.g. nitride/nitride and nitride/metal. Thus the prime objective of the present study is to comprehend the influence of different interface structures as well as its architecture on the various contact damage modes in these coatings. TiAlN/TiN has shown better tribological properties compared to its constituent monolayers. There is an order of magnitude augmentation in loads for cracking without any hardness enhancement relative to monolayers of constituents, with the additional feature that both constituents exhibit similar hardness and modulus. The resistance to cracking is seen to increase with increase in number of interfaces. Hence this uniqueness in toughening without drastic reduction in mechanical properties provides the motivation for understanding the fundamental mechanisms of toughening provided by the interfaces in these hard/hard coatings. Another combination for the present study is with interfaces between hard-soft phases ZrN/Zr, a composite that seeks to compromise hardness in order to achieve greater toughness. The selected combination has potential of providing a model system without any substoichiometric nitrides influencing the interfacial structure. There is a great need to optimize the metal fraction/thickness for exploiting the benefits of toughening without much compromise on hardness and stiffness, since the principal applications of these coatings lies in preventing erosive and corrosive wear. As all the deformation modes in theses coatings are stress driven, the influence of different variables on stress field would dictate the emerging damage. To understand the role of stress fields on contact damage, finite element method and an analytical model was used to predict the stress field within the coating. The TiAlN/TiN coatings were deposited by cathodic arc evaporation, while sputtering was employed to procure the ZrN/Zr multilayer coatings with much finer layer spacing. Microstructural characterization of the as received coatings was done by XRD, scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam cross section machining and transmission electron microscopy. Mechanical properties like hardness and modulus were evaluated by nanoindentation with restricted penetration depths to allow measurements that were not influenced by the substrate. Contact damage was induced by micro indentation at high loads. Indentations were examined from plan view as well as cross section for getting details of crack nucleation as well as propagation trajectories. Focused ion beam was used to examine cross sections of indents as well as to prepare electron transparent thin foils for transmission electron microscopy examination of subsurface damage induced by indentation. To emphasize specific issues in detail, the present work is divided into four sections: 1 Microstructure and mechanical characterization of the as deposited coatings of ZrN/Zr multilayer (while that of TiAlN/TiN has been reported elsewhere) 2 Details of contact damage in ZrN/Zr coating 3 Resolution of micro mechanistic issues in TiAlN/TiN coating utilizing detailed microscopy 4 The effect of change in architecture through heat-treatment of ZrN/Zr multilayer coatings on the mechanical behavior and contact damage Detailed microstructural, compositional and mechanical characterization was done on ZrN/Zr as received multilayer coatings. Thickness of metal layer was seen to influence the texture in the nitride, thick metal acquiring basal texture in turn inducing (111) texture in the nitride to reduce interfacial energy. Microstructure revealed that the nitride grows with interrupted columnar grains, renucleating at each metal/nitride interface. Presence of both phases was confirmed at even very low bilayer spacing, with slight changes in multilayers architecture, from planar interfaces to curved interfaces. The chosen system proved to be an ideal system for multilayer study without formation of secondary nitrides. Residual stress and hardness reduced with increase in metal layer thickness, whereas modulus was seen to follow the rule of mixture value. Detailed contact damage study of ZrN/Zr is reported in section two with influence of volume fraction and metal layer thickness. All the experimental results were corroborated with finite element methods. A comparative study of contact damage of multilayer with monolayer was carried out with cross section as well as plan view of indents. Metal plasticity was able to distribute damage laterally as well as vertically, hence reducing the stress concentration. There lies an optimum thickness of the metal providing maximum toughening by increasing the threshold load required for edge cracking. The sliding of columns is resisted by the metal. However, thick metal layers promote microcracking in individual nitride layers. Cracking is restricted to within individual nitride layers, eliminating through thickness cracking. The intermediate metal thickness was able to provide a mechanism of laterally distributing sliding and hence a higher tolerance level of the indentation strain that can be accommodated without cracking. Thin metal multilayers were seen to show delamination, strongly influenced by the multilayer architecture. We use the finite element method to understand the influence of stress fields in driving these various modes of damage for varying volume fraction and metal layer thicknesses. It is demonstrated how metal plasticity results in stress enhancement in the nitride layer compared to a monolayer and reduces the shear stress, which is the driving force for columnar sliding. The micro cracking to columnar shearing transition with metal thickness was explained with the help of average shear and normal stress across the multilayer which could explain the transition from cracking and sliding to interfacial delamination in thin metal layer multilayers with enhancement in interfacial shear stress. TiAlN/TiN multilayer allowed to exploit a form of compositional contrast to measure the strain with respect to depth. Layers acting as strain markers quantify the amount of sliding in terms of the offset in layers with respect to depth within the coating. We illustrate with transmission electron micrographs, the flaw generation that occurs as a result of sliding of misaligned column boundaries. These boundary kinks,upon further loading, may lead to cracks running at an angle to the indentation axis in an otherwise dense, defect free, as deposited coating. A previous study illustrates the increase in resistance of multilayers to multiple modes of cracking that are seen in the monolayer nitride coatings on steel substrates. We provide evidence of the enhanced plasticity, seen as macroscopic bending, which in reality is column sliding in a series of distributed small steps. We discuss the role of misfit dislocations in spreading the material laterally to accommodate the constraints during indentation and lattice bending. Interfacial sliding is seen to reduce the stress concentration by distributing the vertical column sliding and accommodating the flaws generated by the sliding of misaligned column boundaries. Some preferred boundaries with special orientation relations do slide, while near the substrate, the sliding is facilitated by the relaxation in intrinsic residual stresses. An analytical model which was formulated earlier is used to support our experimental findings. Investigations of the plausible reasons for the naturally occurring multilayer mollusc sea shells to reach stiffnesses equal to the upper bound of the rule of mixture value have concluded that its brick and mortar organization is responsible for its exceptional mechanical properties. Inspired by the same model, heat treatment was used to change the architecture of the soft-hard metal/nitride combination from that of the planar interface of the as deposited multilayer to a brick and mortar arrangement. Such an interconnected ZrN microstructure was successfully achieved and the stiffness and hardness were both seen to increase relative to the as received coatings. The possible reasons for this enhancement are discussed in term of this newly emerged architecture ,change in residual stress as well as changes in stoichiometry after heat treatment. The contact damage, though, was found to be more catastrophic relative to the as deposited coating with increased propensities for edge and lateral cracking. This was attributed to the interconnected nitrides formed in the brick and mortar architecture as well as residual stress changes due to the dissolution of Zr in ZrN to form off-stoichiometric nitrides. The cracks feel the presence of the metal and deviate from the otherwise smooth trajectory and take a path along the interface of the metal packet and the interconnected nitride. Summarizing, the present study clearly illustrates the fact that interfaces play an important role in damage control under contact loading. Fracture and deformation are either controlled by metal plasticity, distributing the column sliding in metal/nitride multilayers or by interfacial sliding mediated by interfacial misfit dislocations in case of the nitride/nitride multilayer coatings. The effective role of interfaces is to distribute damage laterally as well as horizontally to relieve stresses and hence enhance the damage tolerance under indentation. Optimum metal layer thickness has been proposed for maximum toughening in the metal/nitride multilayer coating and the role of interfaces in providing modes of plasticity is presented for the nitride/nitride multilayer coatings by use of extensive transmission electron microscopic investigations. A new interconnected architecture coatings provides a unique way of combining stiffness and toughness along with scope for further developing such configurations with improved mechanical properties.