• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.145-152
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• 2004

Depth-sensing indentation is wifely used for evaluation of mechanical properties of thin films. It is generally accepted that the most significant source of uncertainty in nanoindentation measurement is the geometry of the indenter tip. Therefore the successful application of the technique requires accurate calibration of the indenter tip geometry. The direct measurement of geometry of a Berkovich indenter was determined using a atomic force microscope. The indentation geometrical calibration of contact area was performed by analyzing the indenter tip profile. The equations of area functions were proposed for nanoscale thin films..

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.943-951
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• 2014

The tip geometries of the pyramidal and conical indenters used for micro/nano-indentation tests are not sharp. They are inevitably rounded because of their manufacturability and wear. In many indentation studies, the tip geometries of the pyramidal indenters are simply assumed to be spherical, and the theoretical solution for spherical indentation is simply applied to the geometry at a shallow indentation depth. This assumption, however, has two problems. First, the accuracy of the theoretical solution depends on the material properties and indenter shape. Second, the actual shapes of pyramidal indenter tips are not perfectly spherical. Hence, we consider the effects of these two problems on indentation tests via finite element analysis. We first show the relationship between the Poisson's ratio and load-displacement curve for spherical indentation, and suggest improved solutions. Then, using a possible geometry for a Berkovich indenter tip, we analyze the characteristics of the load-displacement curve with respect to the indentation depth.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.301-316
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• 2013

The influence of indenter geometry on nanoindentation was studied using a static molecular dynamics simulation. Dislocation nucleation, dislocation locks, and dislocation movements during nanoindentation into Al (001) were studied. Spherical, rectangular, and Berkovich indenters were modeled to study the material behaviors and dislocation activities induced by their different shapes. We found that the elastic responses for the three cases agreed well with those predicted from elastic contact theory. Complicated stress fields were generated by the rectangular and Berkovich indenters, leading to a few uncommon nucleation and dislocation processes. The calculated mean critical resolved shear stresses for the Berkovich and rectangular indenters were lower than the theoretical strength. In the Berkovich indenter case, an amorphous region was observed directly below the indenter tip. In the rectangular indenter case, we observed that some dislocation loops nucleated on the plane. Furthermore, a prismatic loop originating from inside the material glided upward to create a mesa on the indenting surface. We observed an unusual softening phenomenon in the rectangular indenter case and proposed that heterogeneously nucleating dislocations are responsible for this.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.139-146
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• 2004

In this study, to achieve the optimal conditions for mechanical hyper-fine pattern fabrication process, deformation behavior of the materials during indentation scratch test was studied with numerical method by ABAQUS S/W. Brittle materials (Si, Pyrex glass 7740) were used as specimens, and forming conditions to reduce the elastic recovery and pile-up were proposed. The indenter was modeled as a rigid surface. Minimum mesh sizes of specimens are 1-l0nm. Variables of the nanoindentation scratch test analysis are scratching speed, scratching load, tip radius and tip geometry. The nano-indentation scratch tests were performed by using the Berkovich pyramidal diamond indenter. Comparison between the experimental data and numerical result demonstrated that the FEM approach can be a good model of the nanoindentation scratch test. The result of the investigation will be applied to the fabrication of the hyper-fine pattern.