Influence of sample thickness and experimental device configuration on the instrumented spherical macroindentation of C80 steel
Abstract
Instrumented indentation is a useful tool for the non destructive evaluation of the mechanical behaviour of materials. In the case of metallic materials, many theoretical studies and models have been proposed in the last decade for the identification of hardening law parameters. Most of these models deal with bulk samples, treated surfaces and coatings. In the particular case of thin samples, our previous studies have shown that the thickness has an influence on the material response. We have also shown that the thickness has an influence on the sample behaviour as well as on the indentation device behaviour. This work is an experimental illustration of our previous results. The chosen material is C80 steel. Spherical macroindentation tests are performed on samples of thicknesses varying from 8 to1 mm. Experimental and numerical results are compared. Experimental limitations are investigated and solutions to obtain results which are independent of the sample thickness are proposed.