Use of Instrumented Indentation to Determine Mechanical Properties of Thin Films, Coatings and Functionally Graded Materials

Published

August 10, 2000

Author(s)

Douglas T. Smith

Abstract

Instrumented indentation testing is an effective local probe of the elastic and plastic properties of a material, and is particularly useful in the study of films and coatings, where traditional bulk tension or compression tests typically cannot be used. In this test, a sharp or spherical indenter tip is loaded onto a specimen and removed, and the force and the indenter displacement into the specimen are recorded continuously throughout the loading-unloading cycle. The specimen may be a bulk material, the surface of a coated or surface-treated material, or a polished cross-section of a layered system or composite. Subsequent analysis of the force-displacement data is used to determine both an elastic modulus of the material (a quantity close to the Young's modulus) and its hardness. In this paper, the capabilities of the technique will be described, and results will be presented for spark plasma sintered functionally graded materials.

Citation

Functionally Graded Materials

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

coatings, functionally graded materials, hardness, indentation, mechanical properties, thin films

Citation

Smith, D. (2000), Use of Instrumented Indentation to Determine Mechanical Properties of Thin Films, Coatings and Functionally Graded Materials, Functionally Graded Materials (Accessed April 25, 2024)