On radial crack and half-penny crack induced by Vickers indentation

Based on the stress fields formed upon Vickers indentation, the radial crack and half-penny crack systems are analysed separately using finite-element analyses. The crack length is correlated with the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack front and material elastoplastic properties via explicit relationships, from which a reverse analysis can be carried out such that the critical SIF (fracture toughness) can be readily derived once the crack length is measured. The proposed technique is validated by comparing with experimental data in the literature as well as parallel experiments of Vickers indentation-induced cracking. © 2008 The Royal Society.