For the cube-corner indenter, an approximate linear relationship between the ratio of hardness (H) to reduced modulus (E-r) and the ratio of unloading work (W-u) to total loading work (W-t) is confirmed by finite-element calculations and by experiments. Based on this relationship a convenient method to determine the fracture toughness (K-IC) of brittle materials, especially for those at small scale, using cube-corner indentations is proposed. Finally, the method is calibrated by indentation experiments on a set of brittle materials.

This paper was published as:
Zhang TH, Feng YH, Yang R, Jiang P. A Method to Determine Fracture Toughness Using Cube-Corner Indentation. SCRIPTA MATERIALIA, 62(4):199-201(2010)