Implementation of the new minimum resultant error approach to extract elastic-plastic properties of titanium nitride thin film by nanoindentation, finite element analysis, and modified dimensional analysis

Obtaining the plastic properties of thin film coatings has been the main challenge for decades. Implementing the hybrid methods seems to be an applicable way to address this issue. Unfortunately, limitations of nonunique answers together with the need for enormous amount of calculations are counted as the main challenges. To overcome such difficulties, a modified dimensional analysis method is proposed, which is able to reduce the number of dimensionless parameters. Another novel algorithm named minimum resultant error method is developed to provide proper criteria to investigate the compliance of the analytical results with empirical data. With this algorithm, yield stress, strain hardening exponent, and strain hardening coefficient are extracted as unique values by using a single indenter nanoindentation results. The simulation results are processed with combined modified dimensional analysis method and minimum resultant error method algorithms. The effects of interlayer, friction coefficient, and indenter tip radius are investigated. Error analysis to the modulus of elasticity is undertaken and the results show less than 2% error for the infimum point, while the individual dimensionless functions errors are below 3.4%. According to the results, this new approach is well-coped with the earlier studies.