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Measuring fracture toughness of coatings using focused-ion-beam-machined microbeams

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2005

D. Di Maio
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
S.G. Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
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Abstract

Measuring the toughness of brittle coatings has always been a difficult task. Coatings are often too thin to easily prepare a freestanding sample of a defined geometry to use standard toughness measuring techniques. Using standard indentation techniques gives results influenced by the effect of the substrate. A new technique for measuring the toughness of coatings is described here. A precracked micro-beam was produced using focused ion beam (FIB) machining, then imaged and loaded to fracture using a nanoindenter.

Type
Rapid Communications
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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