Current Research in Indentation and Scratch
Testing
A major focus of current research is in continuously recording indentation
tests (CRIT) such as Nanoindentation. The work described below is being carried
out on our Triboindenter and Nanoindenter II and is supported by post facto
AFM and high resolution SEM analysis.
Nanoindenter II
Current research areas include:-
Indents in aluminium metallisation
- Nanoindentation of soft materials. Most of the analysis methods used to
extract hardness and modulus data from nanoindentation load-displacement curves
have been developed for hard materials where the contact area can easily be
defined from the unloading curve. However, for softer materials where considerable
pile-up occurs the conventional approach underestimates the contact area and
hence overestimates hardness and Modulus. AFM imaging of nanoindents
clearly demonstrates this. A work of indentation approach has been developed
to avoid these problems.
Radial cracking: cube corner indent in glass
- Fracture in indentation and scratch testing of coatings. Both coating detachment
and through-thickness cracking are being investigated.
- Nanoindentation of multilayer coating systems
- Modelling of indentation hardness of single and multilayer coating systems
- Test design rules for the identation assessment of coated system.
This page was last modified
on 18th January 2008.
Please e-mail questions, comments and suggestions to
S.J.Bull@ncl.ac.uk
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