Comparison between Berkovich, Vickers and conical indentation tests: A three-dimensional numerical simulation study

Three-dimensional numerical simulations of Berkovich, Vickers and conical indenter hardness tests were carried out to investigate the influence of indenter geometry on indentation test results of bulk and composite film/substrate materials. The strain distributions obtained from the three indenters tested were studied, in order to clarify the differences in the load–indentation depth curves and hardness values of both types of materials. For bulk materials, the differentiation between the results obtained with the three indenters is material sensitive. The indenter geometry shape factor, β, for evaluating Young’s modulus for each indenter, was also estimated. Depending on the indenter geometry, distinct mechanical behaviours are observed for composite materials, which are related to the size of the indentation region in the film. The indentation depth at which the substrate starts to deform plastically is sensitive to indenter geometry.