Indentation

About: Indentation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 13002 publications have been published within this topic receiving 340476 citations.

A Critical Evaluation of Indentation Techniques for Measuring Fracture Toughness: II, Strength Method

Abstract: An examination is made of the sharp-indentation technique of strength-test precracking for toughness evaluation. The experimental approach follows that proposed by other workers but the theoretical analysis contains one vital new feature; the residual-stress term discussed in Part I of this study is now introduced explicitly into the strength formulation. This modification overcomes a major systematic discrepancy evident in the previous models and at the same time, by virtue of attendant changes in the nature of the crack stability prior to attaining a failure configuration, eliminates the need for frac-tographic measurements. Other advantages are also apparent, notably an insensitivity to postindentation radial crack extension. The main disadvantage is that only one result is obtained per specimen. Indentation/strength data from ceramics listed in Part I confirm the essential features of the theory and provide a suitable calibration factor. The method has special application to those materials which do not necessarily produce a well-defined radial crack pattern, in which case an “effective”Kc appropriate to fracture properties at the flaw level is obtained.

The correlation of indentation experiments

Abstract: The theory of rigid perfectly-plastic solids predicts indentation pressures, using wedge-shaped or conical indenters, which depend only on the geometry of the indenter and the yield stress of the material. With blunt wedges or with materials having a low ratio of Young's modulus, E, to yield stress, Y, the material displaced by the indenter is accommodated by an approximately radial expansion of the surrounding material. The indentation pressure then falls below the rigid perfectly-plastic value. In these circumstances, measurements of indentation pressure for a variety of indenter geometries are shown to correlate with the single parameter (E/Y) tan β, where β is the angle of inclination of the indenter to the surface at the edge of the indentation. This parameter may be interpreted as the ratio of the strain imposed by the indenter to the yield strain of the material. A simplified theoretical model of this behaviour is obtained by extending R. Hill's theory of expanding a cylindrical or spherical cavity in an elastic-plastic material to ensure compatibility between the volume of material displaced by the indenter and that accommodated by elastic expansion.

Scaling, dimensional analysis, and indentation measurements

Abstract: We provide an overview of the basic concepts of scaling and dimensional analysis, followed by a review of some of the recent work on applying these concepts to modeling instrumented indentation measurements. Specifically, we examine conical and pyramidal indentation in elastic-plastic solids with power-law work-hardening, in power-law creep solids, and in linear viscoelastic materials. We show that the scaling approach to indentation modeling provides new insights into several basic questions in instrumented indentation, including, what information is contained in the indentation load-displacement curves? How does hardness depend on the mechanical properties and indenter geometry? What are the factors determining piling-up and sinking-in of surface profiles around indents? Can stress-strain relationships be obtained from indentation load-displacement curves? How to measure time dependent mechanical properties from indentation? How to detect or confirm indentation size effects? The scaling approach also helps organize knowledge and provides a framework for bridging micro- and macroscales. We hope that this review will accomplish two purposes: (1) introducing the basic concepts of scaling and dimensional analysis to materials scientists and engineers, and (2) providing a better understanding of instrumented indentation measurements.

Measurement of mechanical properties by ultra-low load indentation

Abstract: Ultra-low load indentation, also known as nanoindentation, is a widely used tool for measuring the mechanical properties of thin films and small volumes of material. One of the great advantages of the technique is its ability to probe a surface and map its properties on a spatially resolved basis, sometimes with a resolution of better than 1 μm. In this paper, techniques for measuring mechanical properties by ultra-low load indentation techniques are reviewed and discussed. Emphasis is given to the use of sharp indenters and how they can be used to measure elastic modulus, hardness, and fracture toughness. These fundamental mechanical properties characterize the three primary modes of deformation in solids—elasticity, plasticity, and fracture.

Direct Observation and Analysis of Indentation Cracking in Glasses and Ceramics

Abstract: A review of the observations of indentation-induced fracture suggests that there is no simple generalization which may be made concerning crack initiation sequences. Here, we investigate the material dependence of the initiation sequence of indentation cracks (cone, radial, median, half-penny, and lateral) using an inverted tester allowing simultaneous viewing of the fracture process and measurement of the indeter load and displacement during contact. Two normal glasses, two anomalous glasses, and seven crystalline materials are examined. Key results include (i) direct evidence that the surface traces of cracks observed at indentation contacts are those of radial cracks, rather than median-nucleated half-penny cracks (at least for peak contact loads <40 N) and (ii) that, in crystalline materials, radial cracks form almost immediately on loading of the indenter, in anomalous glasses at somewhat greater loads, but in normal glasses during unloading. A detailed consideration of the stress fields arising during indentation contact predicts material-dependent initiation sequences, in agreement with observations, particularly those of radial crack formation on loading for materials with large modulus-to-hardness ratios. In addition, a new, unexplored crack system is demonstrated, the shallow lateral cracks, which appear to be responsible for material removal at sharp contacts.