I have done literature review and found any lower loads like 50mN to 200mN will be good to use on SiC. However, my material is a SiC composite and I want to avoid any surface effect while measuring hardness using nanoindentation. You suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks.
In general, the advanced science of material characterization is subject to many criticisms depending on the plans and modalities of action. The evaluation of the mechanical behavior of a material is well done according to the conditions and operating criteria of the part itself. However, it is not possible to make random studies, because each material or part is designed for a specific application. The choice of input parameters is determined by the operating conditions of the part. Of course, a series of measurements under different conditions is encouraged to qualify the mechanical strength of the parts and give them a higher safety factor.
All the best.
Hi Sujithra,
In general, the answer to your question depends on 2 items:
1) The surface finish of your sample, and
2) The geometry of your "composite," and whether you want to measure average hardness of the composite or the hardness of constituent materials in the composite.
You would probably prefer that your indentation depth is at least 3-5x that of the amplitude of the surface roughness. In general, for a monolithic material, you should be able to collect indents at varied depths and observe where the modulus and hardness converge to their respective specific values. Once the values have converged, you can likely be reasonably sure that the surface roughness does not affect your measurement.
Without knowing more about the geometry of your composite, its hard to say much more than this. In general, you want to be sure that the average hardness you want to measure (physically, the plastically deforming zone of material under the indenter) is representative of the material you want to test. Depending on your E/H ratio, the Poisson ratio, work hardening, etc etc., the plastic zone often extends 3 - 10 x your indentation depth, so you want to select a depth that will result in the appropriate plastic zone size.
Dear Sujithra Chandrasekaran!
It is necessary to clearly understand the objectives of the study and the initial structure of the material. Depending on them, one or another experiment plan will be adopted.
Best regards
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