ABSTRACT

In addition the high residual stress now present at the surface will make it more difficult for cracks to open. Even if a crack does nucleate in this region, the high compressive stress will quickly redirect its path to the free surface. It should be noted that the peel stress is zero at the free surface and increases with the increase in depth where it becomes largest at the interface. Therefore, peel stress will promote propagation of a crack originating at the interface due to voids or other defects explained earlier. This wear mechanism concludes that compressive normal residual stresses that are parallel to the interface reduce crack propagation from the surface to the interface, while tensile peel residual stresses cause interfacial cracks to propagate parallel to the interface. It also shows how residual stresses, if controlled, can become beneficial in increasing the life of a diamond coating.