Determination of fracture toughness using the area of micro-crack tracks left in brittle materials by Vickers indentation test

In this article, a new method has been presented for the estimation of fracture toughness in brittle materials, which enjoys improved accuracy and reduced costs associated with fracture toughness testing procedure compared to similar previous methods, because a vast range of specimens with irregular cracks can be accommodated for testing. Micron-sized alumina powders containing 0.05 wt% magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles were mixed and also together with 2.5 vol%, 5 vol%, 7.5 vol%, 10 vol%, and 15 vol% of silicon carbide (SiC) nanopowders separately. By making and testing various types of ceramics with different mechanical properties, and considering the irregular cracks around the indented area caused by Vickers diamond indenter, a semi-empirical fracture toughness equation has been obtained.