Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2011
Silica Coatings of various thicknesses. hardnesses. and interface integrities were deposited on sapphire substrates using sol-gel techniques. The mechanical properties of the coatings were examined using a mechanical properties microprobe. The observed changes in hardness with indentation depth are explained on the basis of a model of the indentation sequence. in which three separate stages of the indentation process are described. In the first stage. the properties of the coating alone are probed: in the second stage. as the plastic field associated with the indenter extends beyond the coating into the substrate, the properties of the substrate begin to appear: and in the third stage. where the indenter penetrates into the substrate, the composite hardness is dominated by that of the substrate, although the properties of the coating are still apparent.