Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T11:52:49.492Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The sharpness of a Berkovich indenter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Anthony C. Fischer-Cripps
Anthony C. Fischer-Cripps*
Affiliation:
Fischer-Cripps Laboratories Pty Ltd., Forestville, NSW 2099, Australia
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Precise calibration of the indenter shape is an important procedure in nanoindentation analysis since the indenter geometry enters directly into the most common methods of data analysis in this type of testing. Not only is the geometry required to be known with some precision, but also the sharpness of the tip, especially in the case of pyramidal indenters, is important for the use of indenters for testing hardness in thin film specimens—the most common application of nanoindentation. In this paper, a method of determining the area function and tip radius for a Berkovich indenter is described. It is shown that the tip radius estimated from the area function data is in reasonable agreement with a direct measurement using a calibrated atomic force microscope. It is shown that subjective decisions about tip radius may lead to unjustified rejection of a tip for hardness measurement. A new criterion for tip quality is presented in terms of tip radius and specimen material properties.

Keywords

HardnessNanoindentation
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , May 2010 , pp. 927 - 934
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Berkovich, E.S.Three-faceted diamond pyramid for micro-hardness testing. Ind. Diamond Rev. 11, (127)129 (1951)Google Scholar
2.Oliver, W.C., Pharr, G.M.An improved technique for determining hardness and elastic modulus using load and displacement sensing indentation experiments. J. Mater. Res. 7, (4)1564 (1992)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Oliver, W.C., Pharr, G.M.Measurement of hardness and elastic modulus by instrumented indentation: Advances in understanding and refinements to methodology. J. Mater. Res. 19, (1)3 (2004)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Gong, J., Miao, H., Peng, Z.Analysis of the nanoindentation data measured with a Berkovich indenter for brittle materials: Effect of residual contact stress. Acta Mater. 52, 785 (2004)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Martin, M., Troyon, M.Fundamental relations used in nanoindentation: Critical examination based on experimental measurements. J. Mater. Res. 17, (9)2227 (2002)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Sawa, T., Tanaka, K.Simplified method for analyzing nanoindentation data and evaluating performance of nanoindentation instruments. J. Mater. Res. 16, (11)3084 (2001)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Herrmann, K., Jennett, N.M., Wegener, W., Meneve, J., Hasche, K., Seemann, R.Progress in determination of the area function of indenters used for nanoindentation. Thin Solid Films 377–378, 394 (2000)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Johnson, K.L.Contact Mechanics (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA 1985)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Tabor, D.The Hardness of Metals (Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK 1951)Google Scholar
10.Fischer-Cripps Laboratories Pty Ltd. Sydney, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
11.ISO15477: ISO Central Secretariat Geneva, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
12.Danish Micro Engineering Herlev, DenmarkGoogle Scholar
13.Sneddon, I.N.Boussinesq's problem for a rigid cone. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 44, 492 (1948)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Caw, W.A.The elastic behaviour of a sharp obtuse wedge impressed on a plane. J. Phys. E: Sci. Instrum. 2, 73 (1969)CrossRefGoogle Scholar