title: Experimental and theoretical confirmation of the scaling exponent 2 in pyramidal load displacement data for depth sensing indentation.
abstract: A series of articles by Kaupp et al. have recently been published in "Scanning," containing erroneous claims about the curvature of pyramidal nanoindentation loading curves. The present paper recalls the theoretical reasons why, for self-similar indenter shapes like pyramidal or conical indentations, the load scales with the indentation depth squared. Furthermore, experimental evidence for that behavior is provided for a wide variety of materials, ranging from ceramics to metals and polymers.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science & Engineering, Institute I, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Merle
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Durst
keywords: nanoindentation scaling exponent; penetration resistance