In order to determine the fracture toughness of the materials presenting high hardness values in the superficial layers, the Vickers micro-indentation was imposed as a reliable procedure. That method became attractive because of the relative simplicity of the experimental technique and because of its low cost. There are several calculus relationships that could be applied using the data provided by that method, in order to determine the material fracture toughness. The determination of fracture toughness using the Vickers indentation method is based on the analysis of radial cracks propagation, from the corners of the indentation trace. The length of these cracks is connected with the material fracture toughness, on the basis of some semi-empirical calculus relations that are taking into account the indentation load and some physical characteristics of the test material, as Young’s modulus and Poisson’s coefficient.
In the present paper, fracture toughness was determined on a series of ceramic samples, made of the same material, but with different geometrical shapes and obtained by applying different technological procedures. The influence of some technological parameters on the fracture toughness was evaluated. The material fracture toughness was determined, into the vicinity of the propagated cracks (in a sample that could be a final product), on an area with a specified geometric contour.
As a preliminary stage, a step by step FEM analysis was made, into the Vickers indentation material region, for different values of indentation load. In this manner, it was proved that the maximum stress value, on the perpendicular direction, as related to the crack diagonal plane, is always located at the peak of the indentation trace, and that is the effective start-point of cracking, for this type of indentation.
