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Indenter wear study and proposal of a simple method for evaluation of indenter blunting

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Abstract

Knowledge of indenter shape and its blunting is crucial for exact evaluation of the indentation data and mechanical properties derived from them. In this study, the evolution of the Berkovich indenter tip with increasing number of indentations into fused silica and sapphire was described using a spheroconical model. It was found that the indenter tip radius increases by ~ 7% after several thousands of indentations into sapphire. In the second part of the paper, the shape of a large number of indenters in various states of use was evaluated using the same spheroconical model. The relation between the indenter tip radius, maximum indentation depth and elastic to total work of indentation ratio at 1 mN on fused silica was investigated. The correlation of indenter radius and maximum indentation depth at 1 mN is very convincing and it can be used as a fast and simple estimation of the indenter bluntness.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by European Regional Development Fund in the frame of the project Centre of Advanced Applied Sciences (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000778).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anton Paar TriTec SA, Corcelles, Switzerland

    Jiri Nohava & Richard Consiglio

  2. Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jaroslav Čech

  3. Czech Metrological Institute, Brno, Czech Republic

    Marek Havlíček

Authors
  1. Jiri Nohava
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  2. Jaroslav Čech
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  3. Marek Havlíček
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  4. Richard Consiglio
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Contributions

JN: design of experiment, experimental work, analysis of indentation data, manuscript writing. JČ: design of experiment, analysis of indentation and AFM data, manuscript writing. MH: AFM experiments, writing of AFM related sections. RC: analysis of indentation data, consultations and manuscript corrections.

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Correspondence to Jiri Nohava.

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Nohava, J., Čech, J., Havlíček, M. et al. Indenter wear study and proposal of a simple method for evaluation of indenter blunting. Journal of Materials Research 36, 4449–4459 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-021-00401-4

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