The effect of material anisotropy on the mechanics of a thin-film/substrate system under mechanical and thermal loads

In this study, the stress analysis for an orthotropic thin film bonded to an orthotropic elastic substrate is addressed using both the analytical and finite element methods. The analytical method employs the integrodifferential formulation with the aid of membrane assumption. Utilizing the finite element method, the effect of orientation of the material principal directions are studied. The loading scenarios include a temperature gradient imposed on the film and a far-field uniaxial tension on the substrate. The results of current study indicate that the ratio of the film to the substrate stiffness plays a leading role in the film stress distribution. For the mechanical loading applied to the substrate, a soft thin film attached to a relatively stiffer substrate is preferred. The film can tolerate the induced thermal stresses as it is bonded to a softer host structure. The rotation angle of material orthotropy directions significantly affects the stress singularity near the film edges up to a certain extent.