Pyrolytic carbon indentation crack morphology.

In studying fatigue and fracture behavior of brittle materials, Vickers diamond indentation cracks are often used. Many of the studies of indentation cracks use crack system models such as the radial-median crack or Palmqvist crack. These systems are also used to study small crack growth in brittle materials, and have been studied for pyrolytic carbon. However, the true morphology of these cracks in pyrolytic carbon coatings on graphite substrates have not been described. This study examined Vickers diamond and spherical ball indentation cracks in pyrolytic carbon coatings using several techniques, including serial metallographic cross sections, indentation fracture in bending, acoustic emission, and residual surface indentation scanning. The crack systems developed using these techniques were not typical of either radial median or Palmqvist systems. The morphology is unique to this material, possibly because of the coating thickness limitations. Given the difference in crack system, the application of standard indentation crack equations in studying fracture mechanics, especially for small cracks, must be questioned.