12. Applications of Nanoindentation

Nanoindentation finds a wide application. The test results provide information on the elastic modulus, hardness, strain-hardening, cracking, phase transformations, creep, fracture toughness, and energy absorption. Since the scale of deformation is very small, the technique is applicable to thin surface films and surface modified layers. In many cases, the microstructural features of a thin film or coating differs markedly from that of the bulk material due to the presence of residual stresses, preferred orientations of crystallographic planes, and the morphology of the microstructure. The proceedings of annual symposiums are a rich source of information about the applications of nanoindentation. In this chapter, some rather straightforward examples of analysis of nanoindentation test data are presented using the methods described in the previous chapters.