Analyzing material properties of thick film multilayers deposited onto soda‐lime silicate glass raises several challenges since these layers can exhibit complex multiphase microstructures. The mechanical properties of sintered silver and glass enamel thick films have been investigated using nanoindentation methods to provide deeper understanding of the composite stack in‐service failure mechanisms. The spatial distribution of the Young's modulus and hardness have been studied on the cross section of the layers to avoid the influence of surface roughness and underlying glass substrate. The apparent indentation fracture toughness of the layers has been evaluated via SEM and high‐resolution surface topography images of the hardness imprints. A modified Berkovich indenter has been employed to study the elastic and plastic deformation regimes while the fracture deformation regime has been investigated using a cube‐corner indenter. In the enamel layer, copper chromite spinel pigments were found to provide a beneficial effect on the films mechanical performance due to their significantly higher elastic, hardness, and toughness properties compared to the surrounding amorphous phase. The amorphous phase of the enamel layer and the glass substrate has comparable mechanical properties, while the fracture toughness of sintered silver is higher, partially explaining the failure initiation in the enamel layer.
The measurement of the thermoelastic properties of enamel thick films deposited onto soda‐lime silicate glass is challenging. The film properties can be modified by the interdiffusion between the glass substrate and the enamel and by the crystallization that occur during the sintering. The average biaxial modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion of several enamel thick films deposited onto 700 µm glass substrates have been simultaneously measured using the curvature method. The value of the coefficient of thermal expansion measured with a dilatometer on enamel bulk samples is significantly higher, associated with the absence of diffusion and a different enamel structure. The interdiffusion of elements between the enamel film and the glass substrate has been demonstrated with Time‐of‐Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS). The amount of porosity ratio presents in the enamel film, evaluated via Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), has a great influence on the biaxial modulus. The amount of compressive stress in the enamel, calculated from the film thermoelastic properties, is strongly correlated with the mechanical performance of enameled glasses, investigated by Ring On Ring methods. Therefore, a high Young's modulus for the enamel and a mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between the enamel film and substrate, the film having the lowest value, has been found to increase significantly the mechanical performance of the stack.
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