Damage mechanisms beneath Vickers indentations are examined on 5 mum TiN film deposited on stainless steel substrate as a function of load. Prominent mode of cracking includes surface edge cracks and subsurface inclined cracks. No interfacial delaminations were noted at the TiN/steel interface. The tangential traction, radial stress and shear stress distribution around an axisymmetric indentation field are used to assess the driving force for crack propagation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.