Semi-analytical model and mechanical test method of flat indentation for ductile materials

Mechanical properties of small-size or in-service structural materials are challenging to obtain using traditional test methods. In this study, a theoretical indentation model, based on the energy-density equivalence, is proposed to describe the relationship between the strain energy and the indentation displacement under flat cylindrical indenter loading and a modified Brinell hardness prediction model. A series of tests for uniaxial tension, Brinell hardness, and flat indentation was performed for ten ductile materials. The results indicate that the stress–strain curves and strengths obtained by the flat indentation test method based on the indentation model are close to the tensile results. We also show that the predicted Brinell hardness agrees closely with that obtained by conventional hardness tests.