In general, the mechanical properties of hard thin coatings are investigated using indentation methods. Material characteristics of hard coatings, such as elastic modulus and hardness, are evaluated by means of nanoindentation and an appropriate evaluation methodology. The most popular method used to obtain the coating properties required using nanoindentation is the evaluation based on the Oliver and Pharr methodology. Adhesion and wear properties can be calculated using these data. In this study, we used a novel method to evaluate the wear and adhesion of coatings. A special measuring device combined with static indentation and acoustic emission signal detection was developed to evaluate the adhesion of coatings. The device consists of a macrohardness instrumental indentation device equipped with an acoustic emission measuring gauge. It was used to investigate crack formation and adhesion of coatings deposited on different substrates using acoustic emissions data. The results using both the existing and novel methods were compared and evaluated.

Acoustic emission (AE) testing is a non-destructive method used in various applications. In our work we demonstrate its capabilities and potential in studying the functional properties of physical vapor deposited (PVD) coatings. The goal was to classify the coating damage during indentation testing more objectively by quantifying specific imprint features. The AE response was systematically recorded in nine sample conditions and 27 individual imprints, allowing us to identify correlations between the numerical values derived from the SEM observations and the characteristics of the AE signal. An increase in the delaminated coating area was found to correspond to an exponential increase in the AE signal energy. These findings suggest that AE analysis could reduce the reliance on SEM-based evaluation and help accelerate systematic research in the field of PVD coatings. The advantages of AE testing are discussed and conclusions for practical applications are provided.

From the point of view of the safety of nuclear power plants, it is necessary to determine the properties of the manufactured material used. One of the possible risks is the use of inappropriate turning on the material, whose subsequent surface and thus corrosion properties in such an extreme environment are significantly stricken. In this work, high cutting speed (596 m⋅min ⁻¹ ) was used for turning austenitic stainless steel 08Ch18N10T using a CBN cutting tool. Such a high cutting speed significantly affected surface integrity and surface properties such as residual stresses, roughness, hardness and surface toughness (metallographically determined and analysed using X-ray tensometry and acoustic emission). The area that was turned contained deformed grains, which contained deformation twins and slip bands. All these factors can affect stress corrosion cracking susceptibility and corrosion resistance. For this reason, the sample was exposed in a MgCl2 solution according to the ASTM G36, while the surface crack density and the crack lengths or depths were determined. The effect of residual stresses on the direction and propagation of surface cracks has been proven. DL-EPR test recorded sensitization that did not occur at the grain boundaries but in the turning direction where pitting lines appeared. Exposure in a simulated primary circuit environment was performed in an autoclave, where no signs of stress corrosion cracking were confirmed.