Abstract

Fracture of Ti/TiN multilayer specimens was studied in situ inside a transmission electron microscope. Fracture toughness for cracks propagating perpendicular to the multilayers is found to be thickness dependent, varying from 1.45 to 2.45 MPa-m0.5 as the specimen thickness increased from 150 to 300 nm. Single-mode crack renucleation was observed in the metals layers, which is anomalous to the continuum-based elastic-plastic multilayer fracture model predictions. This is explained by the ultrafine columnar grain structure in the metal layers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)196-199
Number of pages4
JournalScripta Materialia
Volume63
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2010

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Metals and Alloys

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