Since in instrumented indentation the contact area is indirectly measured from the contact depth, the natural and unavoidable roughness of real surfaces can induce some errors in determining the contact area and thus in calculating hardness and Young's modulus. To alleviate these possible errors and evaluate mechanical properties more precisely, here a simple contact model that takes into account the surface roughness is proposed. A series of instrumented indentations were made on W and Ni samples whose surface roughness is intentionally controlled, and the results are discussed in terms of the proposed model.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.