What is Nanocrystalline

Various thin films used for tribological applications are classified under four heads. Based on their load vs. displacement curves, which have some characteristics features, the ratio of nanohardness to elastic modulus and the ratio of cube of nanohardness to square of elastic modulus are evaluated in this chapter. It is demonstrated that depending on the type of film used, these ratios vary within a certain range. For soft self-lubricating films, these ratios are very low; whereas for hard self-lubricating film, these ratios are quite high.