The element types used in ABAQUS are 'CAX8R', where the letter or number indicates the element type which is continuous type, axisymmetric in nature has 8 -quadratic nodes and reduced integration. The available reduced integration option is used to save computation time. The entire model consists of approximately 180,000 elements depending on the thickness of the coating.Figure() enlargement of the contact region in the coated substrate3.3.4 Contact interaction The interaction between the indenter and the coated substrate is modeled as a pair of contacts without no friction. According to the ABAQUS user manual, the indenter surface is defined as the "master" surface since the indenter is a rigid body. The top of the trim is the 'slave' surface. 3.3.5 Boundary conditions and loading The following boundary conditions were imposed: The nodes on the z symmetry axis of the sphere and the coated substrate were constrained in the x direction. The nodes at the base of the substrate were constrained in both x and z directions. Furthermore, the following hypotheses were made