An integrated approach towards the study of scratch damage of polymer

To seek a better understanding of the scratch damage of polymers, an integrated analysis approach is proposed in this article. This integrated approach essentially involves (a) the use of a new scratch test device for testing, (b) employing microscopy techniques and image an analysis tool, VIEEW(R), for studying material damage and scratch visibility, and finally (c) performing finite element (FE) modeling to examine the mechanical response of the polymeric substrate involved during the scratch process. Applying this approach to five model material systems and employing linearly increasing load tests, the findings of the fundamental material science study of the scratch damage of these materials are presented. From the three-dimensional FE analysis, the numerical results generated were able to reasonably predict the scratch damage and provide corresponding mechanistic interpretation. The essential link between material science and mechanics outlines the uniqueness of this approach for studying the scratch damage of polymers.