General regularities of edge chipping tests for ceramics in the case of conical indenters with different rounding tip

The results of a combined numerical and experimental research of mechanical properties of ceramics by the edge chipping test of specimens are presented. The edge chipping tests were carried out by means of conic diamond indenters with spherical tip radii of 100 mu m, 200 mu m and 400 mu m. The numerical analysis of the fracture resistance of ceramic materials has been performed by means of finite element modeling (on the basis of ANSYS software) of the contact interaction between the indenter and the specimen. The principle of the geometric similarity has been employed to establish the correct parameters of the basic distances for the edge chipping tests (upper and lower limits) as well as to construct a unified curve of the edge chipping resistance for indenters with various tip radii. The unified curve of the edge chipping resistance is assumed to be a mechanical characteristic of brittle materials. This curve gives the possibility to compare the results of edge chipping tests of ceramic materials obtained using indenters with different tip radii.