The indenter tip material is silicon nitride, which is susceptible to brittle failure, particularly when indenting the hardest of metallic materials (σY > 3 GPa). Key things that could indicate tip damage are:
- A load drop in the load displacement curve.
- Audible cracking noises.
- Residue tip material visible around the indent location.
- Deviations from the expected indent shape in the profile data.
A tip damage detection algorithm analyses data coming from the profilometer to detect if a tip is damaged. The user should understand that ceramics, cermets, glasses etc. should not be tested.
If you are presented with a tip damage warning or if you think you have damaged a tip, contact Plastometrex at support@plastometrex.com. Please provide the following:
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- Log file from the CORSICA session (Help > Show Log File)
- JSON file(s) from test(s) showing Tip Damage Warning