The hardness and brittleness of ceramics are strongly interrelated. Fracture is not only an interference in measuring Vickers or Knoop hardness, but is an integral part of the hardness response of ceramic materials. Hardness versus load curves exhibit a dramatic transition point at which hardness becomes load independent. The transition corresponds to the onset of extensive micro-fracturing and is directly related to a new parameter B = H_CE/K_(IC)~2 which quantifies the brittleness of ceramics.
展开▼
