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A correction to the nanoindentation technique for ultrashallow indenting depths

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Abstract

A correction to the nanoindentation technique taking into account the elastic recovery at extremely shallow contact depths was proposed. Using a high-sensitivity nanoindentation system with a sharp indenting tip, the magnitude of the elastic recovery could be obtained directly from very low-force load–unload curves, which was then used to correct the contact area used for hardness measurements. Nanoindentation experiments were performed on a standard fused quartz sample and, compared to standard nanoindentation techniques, the proposed method was found to be more accurate at ultrashallow indenting depths of <3 nm.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CAREER CMS-0239232. The nanoindentation measurements were performed at the Center for Microanalysis of Materials at the University of Illinois, which is supported by the United States Department of Energy under Grant No. DEFG02-96-366 ER45439.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, USA

    Chang-Dong Yeo & Andreas A. Polycarpou

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  1. Chang-Dong Yeo
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  2. Andreas A. Polycarpou
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Correspondence to Andreas A. Polycarpou.

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Yeo, CD., Polycarpou, A.A. A correction to the nanoindentation technique for ultrashallow indenting depths. Journal of Materials Research 22, 2359–2362 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2007.0300

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2007.0300

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