Skip to main content
Log in

Mechanical properties characterization of a viscoelastic solid using low-frequency large-amplitude oscillatory indentations with a sharp tip

  • Published:
Journal of Materials Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A viscoelastic solid was contacted by a pointed indenter using low-frequency large-amplitude sinusoidal load functions to determine its contact stiffness in a manner similar to that of the continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) technique but in a quasi-static condition. The contact stiffness of a viscoelastic solid determined by the CSM technique, or the dynamic stiffness, is known, from previous CSM-based studies, to overestimate the quasi-static contact stiffness. The contact stiffness of a viscoelastic solid determined in a quasi-static manner is thus hypothesized to help predict the contact depth more accurately. A new analysis procedure based on truncated Fourier series fitting was developed specifically to process the large amplitude sinusoidal indentation data. The elastic modulus of the material characterized in this work was in agreement with that determined by dynamic mechanical analysis, thereby providing evidence for the validity of the present method in characterizing other viscoelastic materials.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

FIG. 1
FIG. 2
FIG. 3
FIG. 4
FIG. 5
FIG. 6
FIG. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. I.N. Sneddon: The relation between load and penetration in the axisymmetric Boussinesq problem for a punch of arbitrary profile. Int. J. Eng. Sci. 3, 47 1965

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. M.F. Doerner W.D. Nix: A method for interpreting the data from depth-sensing indentation instruments. J. Mater. Res. 1, 601 1986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. W.C. Oliver G.M. Pharr: An improved technique for determining hardness and elastic modulus using load and displacement sensing indentation experiments. J. Mater. Res. 7, 1564 1992

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. G. Feng A.H.W. Ngan: Effects of creep and thermal drift on modulus measurement using depth-sensing indentation. J. Mater. Res. 17, 660 2002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. A.H.W. Ngan, H.T. Wang, B. Tang K.Y. Sze: Correcting power-law viscoelastic effects in elastic modulus measurement using depth-sensing indentation. Int. J. Solids Struct. 42, 1831 2005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. J.B. Pethica W.C. Oliver: Tip surface interactions in STM and AFM. Phys. Scr. T 19, 61 1987

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. G. Hochstetter, A. Jimenez J.L. Loubet: Strain-rate effects on hardness of glassy polymers in the nanoscale range. Comparison between quasi-static and continuous stiffness measurements. J. Macromol. Sci. Phys. B 38, 681 1999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. J. Menčík, G. Rauchs, J. Bardon A. Riche: Determination of elastic modulus and hardness of viscoelastic-plastic materials by instrumented indentation under harmonic load. J. Mater. Res. 20, 2660 2005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Y-T. Cheng, W. Ni C-M. Cheng: Non-linear analysis of oscillatory indentation in elastic and viscoelastic solids. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 075506 2006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. G.M. Pharr A. Bolshakov: Understanding nanoindentation unloading curves. J. Mater. Res. 17, 2660 2002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. G. Hochstetter, A. Jimenez, J.P. Cano E. Felder: An attempt to determine the true stress-strain curves of amorphous polymers by nanoindentation. Tribol. Int. 36, 973 2003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. S. Bec, A. Tonck, J-M. Georges, E. Georges J.L. Loubet: Improvements in the indentation method with a surface force apparatus. Philos. Mag. A 74, 1061 1996

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. N. Fujisawa M.V. Swain: Effect of unloading strain rate on the elastic modulus of a viscoelastic solid determined by nanoindentation. J. Mater. Res. 21, 708 2006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. G. Huang, B. Wang H. Lu: Measurements of viscoelastic functions of polymers in the frequency-domain using nanoindentation. Mech. Time-Dependent Mater. 8, 345 2005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. C.C. White, M.R. Van-Landingham, P.L. Drzal, N-K. Chang S-H. Chang: Viscoelastic characterization of polymers using instrumented indentation. II. Dynamic testing. J. Polym. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys. 43, 1812 2005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the Australian Research Council for funding this project and to thank Hysitron, Inc. for access to a nanoindenter to undertake this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Fujisawa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fujisawa, N., Swain, M. Mechanical properties characterization of a viscoelastic solid using low-frequency large-amplitude oscillatory indentations with a sharp tip. Journal of Materials Research 23, 1557–1563 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2008.0211

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2008.0211

Navigation