The presentation was made by Wilde Analysis and Imperial College during the IFTHSE'11 Congress (17-20 October 11), hosted by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. This marked the final meeting of a European collaborative research project to provide users and developers of coatings for machine elements and cutting tools with a state-of-the art simulation-based toolkit. Known as M3-2S (Multiscale Modelling for Multi-layered Surface Systems), the toolkit is designed to assist in the coatings development and selection process, with the following principal benefits: - Reduction in physical tests (pre-screening and evaluation tests) - Corresponding reduction in cost and lead-time - Evaluation and ranking of alternative candidate surface systems - Insight into coating failure mechanisms A key project deliverable, developed by Wilde Analysis and Imperial College was the “virtual test” tool, which helps users who are not simulation experts to set up and run simulations of substrate-case-coating systems of their own construction, in three situations: - Micro-indentation tests - Load bearing (line contact) tests - Approximate evaluation of coating system for cutting tool applications The software is designed for maximum simplicity and quick results and is aimed at mainly at reducing the time and cost of coating selection. For more details of the software and for a quick demonstration, please contact us at http://WildeAnalysis.co.uk/contact. Full details of the project can be found at www.m3-2s.bham.ac.uk. Acknowledgement: Wilde Analysis thanks the European Commission for its support on the FP7 project “MultiscaleModelling for MultilayeredSurface Systems (M3-2S)”, Grant No: CP-FP 213600-2 M3-2S.

1. Virtual test for rapid evaluation
of engineered surface coatings
Dr Simon Leefe (Wilde Analysis Ltd)
Dr Pan Zhang, Dr Daniel Balint, Prof Jianguo Lin (Imperial College)
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

2. Overview
• Rationale and benefits
• “Virtual test” workflow
• What’s going on under the hood?
• Illustration
• Summary
• Acknowledgement
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

3. Rationale and Benefits
Industrial drivers
Performance demands
• Machine power density increase
• Weight decrease
Increased demand on machine elements
• Increased load bearing capacity
• Better tribological performance
Innovation in surface engineering
• Multi-layered systems
• Nano-structured
• etc
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

4. Rationale and Benefits
Design / selection of coating “Virtual tests”
systems
Identify candidate
• Has worked before
• Some potential • Consider more
candidates
Microindentation tests • Propose completely new
Pre-screen • Prepare samples systems
• Conduct tests • No lead time on
specimen procurement
Load-bearing / tribo test • Simulations can run 24/7
Rank shortlist • Prepare samples • Understand route to
• Conduct tests failure
• Inform surface system
Evaluate
Functional / endurance test design
performance
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

5. Approach
• Select “virtual test” type
• Micro-indentation
• Load bearing
• Machining application
• Specify test parameters
• Set off simulation
• Inspect results tailored to end-user requirements
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

6. What‟s going on under the hood?
• “Run” button kicks off DEFORMTM simulation
• Leading edge Finite Element Analysis program
• Usually GUI driven but can be driven by text files
• Here, uses text files generated by “virtual test” GUI
• Extensive set of user subroutines from M3-2S project to implement
damage model in coating layers
• DEFORM generates results
• Results normally post-processed visually in DEFORM GUI
• Here, specific repeatable set of results generated automatically in text
format
• Virtual test GUI displays application-specific results to user
• DEFORM post-processing functionality also available
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

7. Start-up screen
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

8. Indentation test set-up
Define coating
layers (expandable
M3-2S library)
Define substrate from
DEFORM library and
(optionally) depth of
hardened layer
Define test
parameters
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

9. Start-up screen: select load-bearing test
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

10. Load-bearing test set-up
Set-up
identical, but
solution is plane
strain, not
axisymmetric
Substrate library
from drop-down
(small subset of
DEFORM library
materials)
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

11. View layers (to scale)
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

12. Generate mesh (and view)
Mesh settings are
generated automatically
from built-in geometry-
based rules, to provide
optimum trade-off between
speed and accuracy
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

13. Simulation in progress
Progress reported
DEFORM solver info
echoed to screen
Yes, there IS a
„stop‟ button!
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

14. Results: progression of damage
Extent of damage
Location and
and instant of
instant of
surface failure
initiation of
failure
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

15. Advanced post-processing
Full functionality of
DEFORM post-
processor is available to
more advanced users
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

16. Some DEFORM output
Force-
displacement
curve
Damage
contours
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

17. Start-up screen: machining application
2-D simplified
representation
(for quick
comparative
results)
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

18. Machining set-up
Similar approach
to surface system
definition
Workpiece material
Tool tip geometry
Cutting parameters
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

19. Cutting - mesh
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

20. Load-bearing and cutting
• Simulation and results display similar to indentation
• Cutting also provides order-of-magnitude estimate of
tool wear rate for comparative purposes
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

21. Summary
• Simple-to-use “virtual test” tool
• Aids coating system selection and comparative
evaluation
• Quicker lead time than physical tests
• Rapidly screen out weak candidate systems
• Quickly identify reduced shortlist for physical tests
• Brings state-of-the-art DEFORM finite element
simulation to non-expert users
• Incorporates leading-edge research into surface
coating damage via validated models
• Provides insights into initiation and progression of
failure not available from physical tests
• Allows exploration of completely new surface systems
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress

22. Acknowledgement
The authors thank the European Commission for their
support on the FP7 project “Multiscale Modelling for
Multilayered Surface Systems (M3-2S)”, Grant No: CP-
FP 213600-2 M3-2Sion
M3-2S Special Session 19th IFHTSE Congress