Mechanical property evaluations of an amorphous metallic/ceramic multilayer and its role in improving fatigue properties of 316L stainless steel

We have used nanoindentation to investigate mechanical properties of 200-nm-thick amorphous multilayer consisting of alternating layers of Zr-based thin film metallic glass (TFMG) and holmium scandium oxide (HSO). Nanoindentation results show that TFMG/HSO multilayer exhibits the high hardness and Young's modulus. Owing to its high hardness, smooth surface, and good adhesion properties, TFMG/HSO multilayer is then employed as a protective coating to improve the four-point bending fatigue properties of 316L stainless steel. With coating, the fatigue life is increased from 2.4×105 to 4.9×106 cycles, at the stress of 700 MPa. A crack retardation mechanism has been proposed to explain the role of TFMG/HSO multilayer in improving fatigue properties of 316L stainless steel substrate.